TASHKENT (AFP) – Voters across Central Asian Uzbekistan went to the polls yesterday in a constitutional referendum that could allow President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to remain in power until 2040.
Mirziyoyev, 65, became president in 2016 after the death of Islam Karimov.
He insists the overhaul of the constitution will improve governance and quality of life in the landlocked country of 35 million people, whose rights have long been heavily restricted.
But it is Mirziyoyev who is expected to benefit most in the majority-Muslim country, observers said.
The constitutional changes would extend presidential terms from five to seven years, allowing him to serve two more terms and extend his time in power until 2040.
The authoritarian reformer voted in the capital Tashkent with his family.
There is little doubt the amendments will be adopted, in a country where the media is heavily controlled.
