Anup Chandra Pandey, the head of India’s electoral commission, and other top officials have arrived in Uzbekistan to serve as observers for the nation’s presidential elections on July 9, according to the Uzbek Embassy in India.
“India is going to be part of Uzbekistan’s July 9 celebration of democracy. A 20-strong delegation from India made up of well-known public figures, senior diplomats, and experts are already in Uzbekistan to take part in the Presidential elections as observers,” Uzbekistan Embassy in India told ANI.
The Indian team met with the Uzbek Central Election Commission on Thursday. Bakhrom Kuchkarov, the deputy chairman of the Uzbek Central Election Commission, Gulnoza Rakhimova, the chief election commissioner (CEC) of India, Anup Chandra Pandey, and Manish Prabhat, the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of India to Uzbekistan, all attended the meeting. The work being done to hold the elections was explained to the group from India.
According to Uzbekistan’s Central Election Commission, “Indian observers emphasised that high-level information on the elections was provided to voters, and the use of biometric identification devices was piloted in several polling stations. Besides India, the international community in general has shown great interest in the elections.”
International organisations and states from Asia, Europe, America, and Africa have also arrived in Uzbekistan, where they will be closely monitoring the elections on July 9. The Indian delegates will visit voting places as election observers, together with other international and foreign observers, and will provide pertinent judgements and recommendations based on their findings.
President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev gave an explanation for the need for the early election as well as the rationale behind resigning from office after three and a half years in office.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted that after the adoption of the updated Basic Law, all the links of power are being reformed, and the relations and balance between them are seriously changing, the renewed Constitution poses urgent, new political and socio-economic tasks to the President, parliament, government, ministers and khokims (regional governors), and people expect significant and topical changes and reforms in all areas.
The head of the Central Asian state signed his decree on the appointment of advance polling of the President of Uzbekistan after the approval of the new version of the country’s Constitution at a nationwide referendum on April 30.
