The hottest presidential elections in Uzbekistan: heat, Face ID, voice of the oldest

There are four candidates running for the post of head of state, including incumbent President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Recall that the new version of the Constitution, which entered into force in May this year, provides for the extension of the presidential term from five to seven years and allows Mirziyoyev to reset the previous terms as head of state. Thus, if he wins the election, he can serve as president for two consecutive terms – until 2037.

Sunday, on which the vote was scheduled, turned out to be hot. The sun in Tashkent was mercilessly hot, and the temperature went off scale for 30 degrees. “This is the hottest election in my memory,” complained Aziza, a resident of the capital, who came to the polling station with her family, “but nothing, we, husband and daughter, got there and did not melt. Dad ran away in the morning and voted, mom decided not to go, she says she doesn’t feel well.

Will they come to her house?

– I think yes. For example, a neighbor’s wife does not go, he gave me her passport, asked me to vote on her behalf. But they refused me, they say that it is not allowed, and they themselves will come.

What changes are people waiting for?

— Changes, reforms? We do not particularly need them, we need stability.

Visiting commissions actively visited the oldest inhabitants of the Republic. In the Fergana region, 128-year-old Khuvaido momo Umarova voted with their help using a mobile ballot box. But another long-lived woman, 110-year-old Shahribonu momo, even personally visited a polling station in the Uchkurgan region with her 85-year-old daughter. Respectable women are interested in politics and did not miss the opportunity to make their choice.

The heat is, of course, hard, Uzbekistan, according to local residents, really lacks water space, people would like to have more large lakes and rivers. “I wish the one who wins the presidential race would help solve this problem! But this is hardly … Where from? voters sighed.

One of the polling stations, at number 520, was located at the University of Journalism and Mass Communications: part of it was rebuilt for the electoral process. In the middle of the day, there were few voters, although the polling station is popular. In the morning, it was here that Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov voted. He came at 11 o’clock with his family.

But the heat of the day exhausted the people and they postponed the vote until the evening.

“By noon, more than 800 people had voted,” volunteers told the MK journalist, “A well-known Uzbek tennis player, one of the leaders of the Uzlidep party, came to vote. We will not hide that there are those who are dissatisfied, who do not vote on principle, but there are fewer of them – after all, people understand that a choice must be made.

Meanwhile, two elderly women entered the building.

– We come from the USSR in general, and we are used to voting – Soviet hardening! – they explained their activity to bake in spite of.

“We love Uzbekistan and Russia,” another voter named Elvira, who appeared at the polling station, entered into a conversation. “I know this area, I have been living here for 53 years, and you know what surprises me? People themselves go to vote, they don’t need to be indoctrinated, and this despite the fact that we have initiative groups. My house is complete. One at a time, slowly. But even three years ago, everyone was rather indifferent to the elections, many did not consider it necessary to go to the polling stations.

The elections aroused interest not only in Uzbekistan, but also abroad. More than 800 international observers turned out to be accredited, and more than 1.5 thousand journalists, both local and foreign, were present. Foreigners visited a variety of polling stations and got acquainted with the voting process. We ran into one of these observers at the press office. Dermot Mayes, chief executive of a major British investment company, shared his impressions.

– Registration and issuance of ballots, as well as the process of their processing turned out to be much more perfect than I have seen in many Western countries. The electorate has a complete idea of ​​who they vote for. Well organized process for people with disabilities. As observers, we should pay attention to possible violations in the voting, but at the moment I have not noticed any violations – everything is going on as usual. .

It should be noted that technological progress has also affected the organization of elections. In some polling stations, it was possible to use the Face ID system when voting. That is, the identity of the voters was identified using biometrics.

“The next elections will probably be completely electronic,” said Askar Shakirov, a diplomat from Kazakhstan, “In some areas of Tashkent, we saw how electronic registration is used, which is a simplification of the process and at the same time an educational moment. People are actively mastering technology. We are developing production of many high technologies. Take, for example, the technopark created on the territory of the former aircraft plant named after Chkalov.” .