BSS :
Voting was underway in Central Asian Uzbekistan’s presidential election Sunday, with incumbent Shavkat Mirziyoyev facing no real opposition but plenty of challenges as he bids to reform the ex-Soviet country and still maintain its authoritarian foundations.
Mirziyoyev has been credited for launching what he calls a “New Uzbekistan”, ending a decades-old system of forced labour and introducing limited media freedom. He came to power in 2016 after the death of his mentor, dictator Islam Karimov, who ruled Uzbekistan for 27 years.
The new leader presided over an unprecedented boom in foreign tourism in the country that borders Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and counts China and Russia among its partners. But as his first term ends, the 64-year-old is struggling to counter impressions that his government is sliding back towards the habits of hislong-reigning predecessor.
The effects of the pandemic have also blunted his initial economic chievements, with unemployment rife amid sharp rises in living costs. “We expect changes. For instance, salary increases-our salaries are
small and we don’t always get them,” said 20-year-old student Urazali Ergashev. He added that his mother, a teacher, often faced salary delays.
Voting across the landlocked country of 34 million people began at 8:00 am local time (0300 GMT) and will last until 8:00 pm (1500 GMT). – More freedoms, but no choice – Prolonged isolation under Karimov meant that commodity-rich Uzbekistan fell well short of its economic potential for most of independence.
