Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Feb. 27
By Demir Azizov - Trend:
Uzbekistan's incumbent president, Islam Karimov, who is also a candidate in the upcoming presidential election from the Liberal Democratic Party, met with voters in the Khorezm region and Karakalpakstan autonomous republic as part of election agitation, the Uzbek national information agency, UzA reported Feb. 27.
Reportedly, Karimov, addressing the voters, drew their attention to the main directions of his election program.
He believes that the priority areas in furthering the reforms in the country include deepening structural reforms in the economy, increasing its competitiveness through diversification of industry, technical and technological modernization of production, and development of small business and private entrepreneurship.
The president also underscored the importance of revising the state's participation in economy, further strengthening and expanding farmers' movement, providing employment and further improvement of people's living standards.
Other Uzbek presidential candidates also continue to travel to regions and meet with voters.
For example, the candidate from the Social Democratic Party Adolat, Narimon Umarov met voters in the Kashkadarya and Surkhandarya regions and in the capital Tashkent.
During the meetings, he outlined the main points of his election program, namely the further deepening of political reforms, strengthening and development of democratic values, ensuring human rights and freedoms, the principles of transparency, openness and accountability in governance, active public involvement in forming and making decisions on major issues of socio-economic development, and the government support for social projects and programs.
The presidential candidate from the Democratic Party Milly Tiklanish, Akmal Saidov met with voters in the Bukhara, Navoi and Khorezm regions and Karakalpakstan.
Among the most important tasks in the candidate's election program there is, in particular, the realization of comprehensive measures to improve the state language and improve the language culture.
The program also includes a number of tasks to strengthen the social partnership between the state and civil society, encourage the non-governmental non-commercial organizations, mass media and other institutions of civil society, the careful preservation of historical, cultural and intellectual heritage of the people.
The candidate of the People's Democratic Party, Hotamzhon Ketmonov met with voters in the Samarkand, Bukhara, Navoi and Jizzakh regions.
Informing the voters about the main directions of his election program, Ketmonov stressed the importance of further developing the social partnership institutions, improving the judicial mechanisms of protection of citizens' rights and raising the quality of implementation of court judgments through strengthening the judicial supervision.
Special attention in the program is also paid to the expansion of the network of rural health units in remote villages.
It is also envisaged to improve the work of enterprises processing the local raw materials, stimulating the production of consumer goods, and the development of family business and work at home.
Uzbekistan scheduled the presidential election for March 29.
The election campaign in the country began on Dec. 26, 2014.