Reuters
January 29
zbek President Islam Karimov has won overwhelming backing for an extended presidential term in a referendum derided in the West as a ploy to hang on to office.
Abdurafik Akhadov, head of Uzbekistan's central elections commission, told a news conference Monday that 91 percent to 92 percent had voted "yes" to a proposal to extend the president's constitutional term from five to seven years.
Akhadov said 93 percent to 94 percent in Sunday's referendum had backed a second proposal to replace the country's one-chamber parliament with a bicameral legislature.
"An overwhelming majority voted in favor of the questions put by the referendum," he said.
Western countries and human rights groups had dismissed the vote as failing to meet international standards.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the first Western body to comment on the outcome, said it hoped Uzbekistan would wait until after the next presidential election before introducing the extension.
The authorities have not made clear whether the extension will apply to Karimov's current term, which began in 2000 and ends in 2005.
Karimov aides said over the weekend the constitution may be amended to allow him to run for a third term.
An OSCE statement said constitutional arrangements, including the president's term, were a matter for each state. But it assumed the extended term would "come into effect after the next presidential elections, in accordance with the best practices recognized throughout the OSCE region."
Karimov has a history of rewriting the rules to stay in power.
His first term, which would have ended in 1995, was extended to 2000 in a referendum. His landslide re-election in 2000 was boycotted by Western monitors, who said it was unfair.
Akhadov said final results from the referendum would be released within 10 days. Turnout stood at 91.58 percent of 13.2 million eligible voters.
The referendum came at an awkward time for the United States, which has relied on Karimov to provide bases for the military campaign in neighboring Afghanistan while at the same time denouncing his record on democracy.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Elizabeth Jones, the latest in a parade of American officials through Tashkent in recent weeks, held security talks with top Uzbek officials Monday. She meets Karimov on Tuesday.
After voting Sunday, Karimov shrugged off Western criticism and made clear there would be no drastic change.
He said "some authoritarian methods" were necessary at times.
Karimov says the new assembly will better represent the country's regions. His critics argue little will change as all regional heads are already handpicked by Karimov.