The former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan announced on Wednesday that it will hold a constitutional referendum at the end of April allowing current president Shavkat Mirziyoyev to stay in power until 2040.
The proposed revision to the Uzbek constitution, published today, proposes extending the presidential term from five to seven years and indicates that people already in power “have the right to run […] irrespective of the number of consecutive terms” already exercised.
The new constitution, which amends two-thirds of the current fundamental law but maintains the limitation to two consecutive terms, will be put to a referendum on April 30. in the most populous country in Central Asia, with about 35 million inhabitants.
Mirzioev, who came to power in 2016, was re-elected for five years in October 2021 with more than 80% of the vote, after a vote in which no real opponents can participate, according to international observers.
The constitutional revision would allow Mirzioev, 65, to remain in power in 2026 and, if re-elected, to stay in power until 2033, or until 2040 if re-elected.
Mirzoev, who had been prime minister for 13 years, became head of state after the death of his predecessor, Islam Karimov, who ruled for 27 years.
Ratified almost unanimously by both chambers of parliament, the revision project still aims to make Uzbekistan a “social state” where “man, his life, his freedom, his honor and his dignity are the highest values”.
The constitutional amendment intended to reduce the autonomy of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, a desert region of Uzbekistan and one of the poorest in the country, was abandoned.
The proposal to reduce autonomy led to demonstrations in Karakalpakstan on 1 and 2 July 2022, the repression of which officially resulted in the deaths of 21 people. Authorities have also declared a state of emergency and blocked internet access in the region.
Uzbekistan is ranked number 149 in the Economist magazine’s “Democracy Index” (2022), which integrates a total of 167 countries and is considered an authoritarian regime. In the past year, the country has risen one position in the index.
Source: DN
