PRESS RELEASE : 2023 Uzbek presidential elections – UK statement to the OSCE [July 2023]
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 13 July 2023.
Deputy Ambassador Brown urges Uzbekistan to implement the recommendations made by ODIHR observation missions.
The UK welcomed the invitation from Uzbekistan for ODIHR to conduct an election observation mission for the 9 July Presidential election.
The UK notes the preliminary results of the observation mission, which found that the election took place in a calm and technically well-prepared atmosphere and suggested several areas of improvement from previous ODIHR recommendations, which the UK welcomes.
However, the UK also wishes to express its regret that ‘serious irregularities were observed’ by international observers on election day; that ODIHR assessed that the election campaigns did not offer citizens ‘alternative political choices’; and that the incumbent enjoyed undue advantage.
The UK urges Uzbekistan to implement the recommendations put forward both following this election observation mission and from previous missions, including ensuring that the political environment allows for genuine competition and that alternative political views are freely presented to the electorate.
The UK welcomes the reform programme initiated by President Mirziyoyev since 2016, and urges Uzbekistan to continue with the implementation of democratic reforms, drawing on the considerable expertise of the OSCE. Uzbekistan is a key partner to UK and we will continue to offer support.
