Observers Report on the Election of President of The Republic of Uzbekistan

I. Things You Might Not Know

1.What is it like in Uzbekistan？

Located in a narrow stretch of land from east to west， Uzbekistan has the largest population in Central Asia. Renowned as one of the most important countries along the ancient Silk Road， it has a rich culture and history.

The cotton and wheat designs on its national emblem introduce Uzbekistan as a great agricultural country. Given the cold weather upon our arrival in late March [1]， we were amazed to see ample supply of fresh vegetables and fruits contrary to the stereotypical impression of a dry inland country.

It is true that the best way to get to know a country is to pay a visit. The star and crescent on the emblem reflect its Islam beliefs. We visited the capital， Tashkent， and the ancient town Khiva full of mosques， some newly built while others have remained empty for centuries； either way， one can easily imagine how it would feel to be part of a grand religious service with 5，000 worshipers.

It was intriguing to see how a religious country with thousands of years of history would deal with a new political system typified by this presidential election.

2. What was significant about the presidential election in Uzbekistan？

The election process started on December 26， 2014 with four candidates — incumbent President Islam Karimov nominated by the Liberal Democratic Party， Hatamjon Ketmonov from the People’s Democratic Party， Akmal Saidov from the Milliy Tiklanish Democratic Party， and Nariman Umarov from the Adolat Social Democratic Party.

The Central Election Commission （CEC） organized 9，058 polling stations， including 44 in Uzbek representative offices in foreign countries. The Regional Election Commissions recruited more than 90，000 people to ensure a smooth process.

About 300 international observers were invited from 43 countries and five international institutions such as the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization （SCO）.

The CPAFFC delegation visited six polling stations in Urgench on March 28 and observed the ballot counting at Section 22 later that evening， and attended a press conference on March 29 when the CEC announced that 91.01% of the 20.79 million registered voters had gone to the polls. On March 30， the result was announced that Islam Karimov was re-elected with a clear majority.

This did not come as a surprise as the country has been enjoying long-term political stability and effective governance under President Karimov. Observing the process， we noticed many details that could serve as experience and provide inspiration for others in one way or another.

II. The Things You May

Want to Know

1.Observation at polling stations

The CPAFFC delegation visited the following six polling stations in Urgench：

i Section 22 with 1，305 registered voters； 54% had voted by 10：00.

ii Section 19 with 2，150 registered voters； no statistics by 10：30.

iii Section 17 with 1，350 registered voters； 75% had voted by 11：00.

iv Section 45 with 1，737 registered voters； 63% had voted by 11：40.

v Section 28 with 2，403 registered voters； 74% had voted by 14：00.

vi Section 12 with 1，181 registered voters； 90% had voted by 14：30.

2. Impressions

We did not choose the capital city as our primary choice for observation， even though it was possible Urgench might not represent the highest election standard. Even so， what we saw and heard at the polling stations still left a deep impression.

i Rule of laws and transparency

In the brochures prepared for international observers， the most common phrase was “in accordance with Articles XXX”. These articles from the Election Law and regulations concerning detailed conduction provided the legal basis for the election. Although I am not a legal professional， I think it would be hard to find any fault with the legal procedures. It is fair to say the electoral preparatory work had been well organized， showing the ambition of Uzbekistan to reach the international standard.

Uniform layout and standards were applied in all polling stations， regardless of the size， which guaranteed to a certain extent equal right of voting.

The four candidates all had their party representative on site to observe the voting process. All the voters filled in their ballots in the enclosed room. The ballots were folded and then put into a transparent box. The whole process was open to local citizens as well as observers.

Frankly speaking， it was somewhat tedious seeing the same thing at every polling station we visited. Yet， it was the very blessed for the people of Uzbekistan to enjoy equal voting rights.

ii Focus on details and people’s livelihood

President Karimov had been known for his policies focusing on the livelihood of the people， and these were well practiced even during the election.

First， the setting up of polling stations. One could set up if an area had 300 voters. This provided convenience for people to vote in their neighborhood. The CEC sent out information to every individual voter and informed them where to register in advance. Regional electoral commission staff would have to go to vote in their own registered polling stations before starting their work elsewhere， however.

Second， the layout of the polling station. For every polling station， there was a CEC office， a nursing room and a clinic. The nursing rooms were especially well decorated with colorful furniture， dolls and all kinds of picture books. Standing in them， one had the impression of being in a kindergarten.

For big polling stations， there were six to seven enclosed voting booths while in smaller ones there were perhaps only two. Even so， one booth provided all the conveniences for the physically challenged voters.

We were told that voting boxes were taken to the door of those who had difficulty in getting about， and young people who had just come of voting age would receive flowers.

Just as Chinese Ambassador Sun Lijie said at a joint interview with the media， “Exceptional attention paid to details and human concern has fully shown the achievements in Uzbekistan’s economic and social development and its democratic reform.”

iii Full media exposure and well-prepared materials

The CEC accredited over 340 representatives of domestic and foreign media to cover the election. Hu Chunmei， an international observer from the CPAFFC was interviewed when visiting Section 22.

The CEC prepared for the media and observers sufficient materials in Russian and English， the format and contents of which were edited according to international standards. An informative brochure Questions and Answers impressed me most. It provided legal references， candidate nomination procedures， voter qualification， equal media exposure of the candidates and the budget for the election， etc.

III. Conclusion

Positive feedback came from the local citizens， media， and international observers. Ambassador Caetano de Zuluea， head of the observer mission of the office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe， said： “I must note Uzbekistan’s positive experience in the creation of the Central Election Commission as an independent election body， as well as the introduction of constitutional amendments establishing the status of the CEC as an independent body.[2]” It was a clear indication the election that had been carried out in fairness guaranteed by law and transparency had got favorable appraisal from the international community.

The Chinese delegation stated： “The election was conducted in accordance with the Election Law of Uzbekistan and the generally recognized principle of international law. It proceeded smoothly and peacefully with no violations of the law or regulations. The election was legal， democratic， transparent， and fair. The people of Uzbekistan have been guaranteed their right to express their political preference through voting. ”

Besides the opinions above， I have some personal views of the visit.

Uzbekistan remains one of the important countries on the Silk Road. Although our visit was short， we had close encounters with this famous ancient trade route. For instance， it was prominent in a big picture poster hung on the wall of the State Academy of Tourism and Trade that also served as a polling station； we encountered stories about it in local museums； and we saw the great influence it had had on the country in the past and in contemporary times. Interestingly， I found one of the candidates actually promoted as his main foreign policy the revival of the Silk Road [3]. All this coincides with the Belt and Road Initiatives put forward by China.

This coincidence brought me back to the presidential election being held in such an ancient religious country. When modern politics is introduced into an ancient civilization， there are bound to be sparks. As an inland Asian country adopts the political practices of Western developed countries， the great cultural differences will make it hard for the whole process to proceed flawlessly. Yet， amid these conflicts， Uzbekistan has shown the world an opportunity of coexistence between different cultures， religions， countries， and nationalities at a time when the theory of the Clash of Civilization prevails in the world.

China can draw inspiration from Uzbekistan’s presidential election on how to develop its grassroots democracy with Chinese characteristics under its present national conditions， and how to strike a balance between its national interests and the world expectation.

This trip only took me to one Central Asian country， but I have seen the Chinese Dream， the Belt and Road Initiatives， the rule of law and a harmonious world.

Notes

1. The CPAFFC delegation was composed of international observer Hu Chunmei， assistants Zuo Fengqiang， Wen Guangmei and Sun Chi.

2. “Presidential Elections： In the Name of a Bright Future.” P5， Uzbekistan Today， March 20， 2015.

3. ...The revival of the ancient cross-border route of human civilization — the Great Silk Road， which unites the East and West， which has become a milestone in the institutional strengthening and expanding of economic， political， cultural and humanitarian cooperation； the promotion of a strong brand “Great Silk Road”. Akmal Saidov， Memo， edited by CEC.