The President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a constitutional amendment on Tuesday (9 February) to shift presidential elections from the month of December to October. The next Uzbekistan's elections will now take place on 24 October 2021.
The Legislative Chamber approved the amendments on 29 January and it was agreed by the Senate on 5 February. As a result, presidential elections will be moved from the first Sunday of the third part of December to the first Sunday of the third part of October.
According to the senators, elections in December cause voters and the authorities' problems, as the country suffers from gas and electricity shortages every winter. Last December, people blocked the main roads in several places in the country in protest.
The Central Asian country holds presidential elections every five years and President Mirziyoyev was elected president in December 2016 year with 88% of the vote.
Mirziyoyev who is known to have implemented broad economic reforms and sought to improve previously strained ties with the West, has yet to say whether he will run for a second term, but most observers expect him to do so as a clear favourite. The political space in Uzbekistan remains restrictive, although some openings have recently been noted.
