In Uzbekistan, a constitutional referendum tailored to its president

2023-05-02 09:30:56

At a polling station in Tashkent on April 30, 2023. TEMUR ISMAILOV/AFP

The prospects of a democratic alternation in Uzbekistan are postponed to a distant future. Sunday, April 30, a constitutional referendum tailor-made for its president, Chavkat Mirzioev, was approved by 90% of voters, after a controversial ballot. At 65, the president, in power since 2016, will see, thanks to the new amendments adopted, the duration of his mandate extended to seven years, instead of five. Above all, by resetting the counters to zero, he offers himself the possibility of standing for two consecutive terms and thus remaining in power until 2040. A reform which appears to be strongly inspired by that carried out in 2020 by Vladimir Putin, in Russia.

The final results, published on 1^is May evening by the Central Electoral Commission of Uzbekistan, indicate that only 9.35% of voters voted against the new Constitution, with a participation rate approaching the 85% mark, out of a total of 20 million registered citizens on the electoral lists.

To better pass the personalization of the regime, the power has coated it with several amendments “progressive” guaranteeing the right to working conditions “worthy”, free access to medical care and education. But, as with Russia’s 2020 constitutional referendum, the amendments were voted on as a single block, preventing voters from choosing. Two-thirds of the articles of the Uzbek Constitution, which now has 155, are affected by the changes.

Biting comments

In order to obtain a plebiscite, the authorities carried out hype in the streets and in the media, until the last day of the electoral campaign. Social media is full of sharp comments from citizens reporting administrative pressure to go to the polls. “Yesterday my wife was due out of the maternity ward after giving birth, but the staff refused to give her the child’s documents until she had voted”, one of them testifies. All the telephone operators have sent SMS messages to their subscribers insistently recommending that the change in the Constitution be approved.

Read also: In Uzbekistan, the constitutional referendum approved by an overwhelming majority

Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, mandated to monitor the election, indicated on Monday 1^is May, that the voting process was “technically well-prepared and widely promoted as aimed at strengthening the various rights and freedoms”. Their report also underlines that the electoral campaign maintained the confusion between the party in power and the state, and notes a massive use of administrative resources in favor of the yes: “There was neither open debate on certain contentious issues nor organized opposition to the amendments. Overall, the referendum process highlighted the need to encourage alternative political views, respect fundamental freedoms and give an independent civil society the opportunity to develop. » This is obviously not the priority of the president.

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