US Department of State issues statement on presidential elections in Uzbekistan

“The United States supports the people of Uzbekistan for exercising their right to vote in the presidential elections on October 24.  We concur with the OSCE/ODIHR monitoring mission’s observation that the vote was peaceful and characterized by high voter turnout but share the OSCE mission’s concerns that the elections took place in an overly restrictive political environment and that important election safeguards were disregarded.

The United States welcomes the Government of Uzbekistan’s improved cooperation with the OSCE/ODIHR monitoring mission and calls on the government to carry out all OSCE recommendations related to elections and the promotion of civil and political rights. We are committed to continued engagement with the Government of Uzbekistan on these and many other issues of bilateral and regional importance,” the statement reads.