Referendum in Uzbekistan on changing the constitution declared valid

The referendum on amendments to the constitution of Uzbekistan was declared valid, the turnout exceeded the 50% threshold and at 13:00 (11:00 Moscow time) was 62.24%, should from the data published in the Telegram channel of the CEC of the country.

“According to the data of the electronic system that fixes the voter turnout, 12,083,105 voters, or 62.24% of the total list, came to the polling stations by 13.00. The referendum can be considered valid,” commented Bahrom Kuchkarov, Deputy Chairman of the CEC of Uzbekistan (quote according to RIA Novosti). The highest turnout was recorded in the Jizzakh region – 67.06%, the lowest – in Tashkent (54.78%).

On April 30, Uzbekistan is voting at a referendum on the country’s constitution in a new edition. The draft of the new constitution provides for an increase in the duration of the presidential term from five to seven years and zeroing the presidential term of the current head of state Shavkat Mirziyoyev. He will, if approved, be eligible to be elected two more times after 2026.

Mirziyoyev announced the proposal to amend the constitution in 2021 during his inaugural speech. Prior to this, the document was last changed in 2011 during the leadership of ex-president Islam Karimov.

According to the current head of state, the change in the basic law “is in demand by life itself and is dictated by the logic of transformations in Uzbekistan.” At the end of June 2022, deputies of the lower house of parliament (oliy majlis) proposed a draft version of the draft basic law. In the new edition, the number of articles of the main law increased from 128 to 155, and the content of the text was updated by 65%.