(Tashkent) Uzbekistan has adopted by an overwhelming majority by referendum a new Constitution which gives President Chavkat Mirzioev the possibility of remaining at the head of this Central Asian country with a padlocked political life.
The passage from the five-year term to the seven-year term and the reset of the two presidential terms are among the main modifications of the Uzbek fundamental law, approved on Sunday by 90.21% of the voters.
The turnout reached 84.54%, according to preliminary results provided by the Electoral Commission on Monday.
An unsurprising result after a one-sided campaign: despite recent socio-economic advances, this state is still considered by many NGOs to be authoritarian, in particular with a controlled press. Last summer, rare demonstrations against this constitutional project were crushed.
This new Constitution will allow Mr. Mirzioev to theoretically remain until 2040 at the head of the most populous of the Central Asian former Soviet republics and its 35 million inhabitants, whose rights have long been flouted by an excessively repressive regime.
The prohibition of the death penalty and respect for human rights are also constitutionalized, in this “ New Uzbekistan ” praised by Mr. Mirzioev.
The 65-year-old has been trying to present a more modern face since the death of his predecessor, the cruel Islam Karimov, whose faithful prime minister he was for thirteen years, before being elected twice in elections free from real competition.
And, this time again, the international observers of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) regretted in a report “ the lack of real pluralism and competition ” for this referendum.
The OSCE also noted “ the absence of organized opposition against the amendments ”. And if “ recent reforms have led to improvements, there is still a long way to go before fundamental rights are respected”, she continued.
In particular, President Mirzioev has in recent years put an end to forced labor in cotton fields, including children, a measure welcomed by the international community, and Uzbekistan wishes to join the World Trade Organization.
Despite economic progress and social advances, such as the criminalization of domestic violence and the end of forced labor for teachers, NGOs continue to denounce Uzbek power, in particular for the repression of opponents.
As the election approached, two journalists from state media interviewed by AFP confided on condition of anonymity that they had “ received instructions to cover Uzbekistan, the referendum and the president in a positive way ” and noted a strengthening of the censorship as the election draws near.
The only attempt to oppose the new Constitution was bloodily suppressed in July 2022 in the republic of Karakalpakstan. Demonstrators then protested against a constitutional amendment, since withdrawn, which would have reduced the autonomy of this immense poor territory in northern Uzbekistan.
The repression of these demonstrations had left 21 dead, according to a report by the authorities. And, since then, more than forty people have been sentenced to prison terms for their participation in these troubles.
On Monday, the presidents of neighboring Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan were the first to congratulate Mr. Mirzioev.
Uzbekistan is located in a strategic region in the heart of Central Asia, where Russia and China exert a strong influence contested in particular by Westerners and Turkey.
