Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 3
By Elena Kosolapova - Trend:
The presidential election was held at a high level in Uzbekistan on March 29, Uzbekistan's Ambassador to Azerbaijan Sherzod Faiziyev said at a briefing in Baku April 3.
The observers from international organizations and various countries, including Azerbaijan, made this statement following the election.
Faiziyev said that eight representatives of Azerbaijan observed the election in Uzbekistan.
Among them were two journalists, namely, the head of the Etnoglobus International Information and Analytical Center Gulnara Inanj and the director of the News international press center, the head of the South Caucasus club of political analysts Ilgar Velizade, as well as three members of the Central Executive Committee, including its chairman Mazahir Panahov, MPs Aydin Abbasov and Etibar Huseynov, and the director of the State Research Center at the Academy of Public Administration under the president of Azerbaijan, the secretary of the Commission for International Relations of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party Elman Nasirov.
During the briefing, Elman Nasirov told reporters that a high turn out of voters was observed at the presidential election. He said that the citizens of Uzbekistan went to the polls together with their whole families, and the majority of the population perceived the process itself as a holiday.
He said that all conditions for comfortable voting were organized at the polling stations. In particular, children's rooms, where parents could leave their children, as well as aid stations in case if someone became ill, were created. Voters said that they vote for the stability and future of Uzbekistan, according to Nasirov.
Another observer from Azerbaijan Ilgar Velizade also said that voter turnout at the election was high, and long queues of citizens willing to vote were at polling stations since the early morning.
He said that the voting process in Uzbekistan was well prepared, and the polling stations were at the proper level.
Speaking about the political atmosphere in Uzbekistan, Velizadeh said the country has formed a durable government system, which distinguishes it from a number of neighboring countries.
During the briefing, Uzbekistan's ambassador also announced the election assessments previously made by other observers.
In particular, the head of the observer mission from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the SCO secretary general, Dmitry Mezentsev earlier said Uzbekistan's presidential election was conducted openly and democratically, in full compliance with the electoral legislation of Uzbekistan and international commitments undertaken by the country.
Mezentsev also previously said the SCO mission didn't reveal any violations during the pre-election agitation.
The head of the observer mission from the CIS, chairman of the CIS executive committee, and CIS executive secretary, Sergei Lebedev also said earlier that to date, Uzbekistan's electoral legislation fully meets international standards.
He also stressed that the election was held openly and publicly.
Head of the observer mission from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Ali Abolhassani said the organizational level of the election process was quite high and the election was held in a democratic, fair atmosphere and in compliance with all requirements of the country's law and international norms.
Head of mission from the Association of World Election Bodies, Lee Chung-hee, for his part, praised the organization of the election. He said the voters actively participated in the election and the vote counting process was held in open and transparent atmosphere and in timely manner.
Lee Chung-Hee said that while observing the election, the association's mission didn't record any violation of the electoral law.
Furthermore, during the briefing in Baku, Uzbek Ambassador to Azerbaijan Sherzod Fayziyev said that following the presidential election, the policy aimed at developing the friendly relations would continue between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. The diplomat expressed hope that the bilateral cooperation will be even more strengthened.
Presidential election in Uzbekistan was held on March 29, 2015.
The candidates from four political parties were running for the presidency.
The Movement of Entrepreneurs and Businessmen - Liberal Democratic Party nominated the current president, Islam Karimov as a presidential candidate.
The People's Democratic Party of Uzbekistan proposed the chairman of the Central Council, Hatamzhon Ketmonov to the president's post, and the Democratic Party Milly Tiklanish nominated a member of the party's faction in the parliament, Akmal Saidov.
Meanwhile, the Social Democratic Party Adolat nominated the chairman of the party's executive committee, Narimon Umarov.
The current president of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov was elected the country's president for the next five years as a result of this election.
He garnered the votes of over 17.1 million voters, or 90.39 percent of the total number of the voters, according to the preliminary data.
The final results of the election will be announced within 10 days after the voting, that's to say, no later than April 8.
The voter lists included the names of a total of 20,798,052 citizens and 18,928,000 people, or 91.01 percent of the voters took part in Uzbekistan's presidential election.
Over 300 representatives from 43 states, missions from OSCE/ODIHR, CIS Executive Committee, Shanghai Cooperation Organization and Organization of Islamic Cooperation observed the election.
Edited by CN
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