People in Uzbekistan are voting on a constitutional referendum that could allow President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to extend his rule by 14 years.
Authorities in Uzbekistan said an overhaul of the constitution would improve governance and quality of life in the majority-Muslim country of 35 million people. The government also said the referendum would usher in human rights reforms.
Leading up to the vote, media was heavily controlled in a country where rights have long been heavily restricted.
If Sunday’s referendum passes, presidential terms would be lengthened from five to seven years and thisbwould allow the 65-year-old Mirziyoyev to serve two more terms and extend his time in power until 2040.
The government has gone to some lengths to give the vote a veneer of legitimacy, enrolling local celebrities at large rallies and concerts to praise both the proposals and the president.
Since coming to power in 2016 in the wake of the death of his hardline predecessor Islam Karimov, Mirziyoyev has spearheaded a series of reforms in Uzbekistan, including a clampdown on forced labour in the cotton fields.
But activists said rights abuses persist and authorities have shown no sign of allowing a political opposition to emerge.
In 2022, at least 21 people were killed during demonstrations in the autonomous region of Karakalpakstan. Rights activists accused the authorities of using lethal force against the protesters.
Olivier Ferrando, a researcher at the Catholic University of Lyon in France, said the referendum was a “flagship measure” for Mirziyoyev in his attempt at “emancipation” from the legacy of his predecessor.
Uzbekistan’s population is emerging from a particularly harsh winter marked by fuel shortages and is faced with enduring poverty and endemic corruption.
Despite some economic progress and social improvements, such as the criminalisation of domestic violence, the government brooks no dissent.
During July’s unrest, demonstrations against a constitutional amendment in Karakalpakstan, which would have reduced the autonomy of the vast territory, were put down in a bloody crackdown. Dozens of people were jailed.
