Uzbekistan held its first mixed-system parliamentary election and local elections on Sunday, with the preliminary results of the elections for the 150-seat lower house of parliament expected late Monday.
Half of the 150 deputies who will take a seat in Uzbekistan's Legislative Chamber will be chosen through single-mandate constituencies with the other half based on political party lists in a proportional nationwide vote.
Five officially-registered political parties competed for these seats, with around 20 million voters registered to cast their ballots.
Parliamentary and local elections started at 8:00 on Sunday, with polls closing 12 hours later.
According to the Uzbek Central Election Commission, 71 percent of eligible voters cast their ballot by 17:00, which was well above the 33 percent needed for the vote to be valid.
The election serves as an important indicator of Uzbekistan's political trajectory over the next several years, and may also have a bearing on its diplomatic affairs.
"China is regarded as one of the biggest economic partners in the region and world. There lies a strong political will within the leaders of the two countries to actively develop relations between Uzbekistan and China. We believe that the results of this election will make a positive contribution to the future development of the relations between Uzbekistan and China and all other international partners," said Aloyev Bakhromjon Juraboyevich, Uzbekistan’s deputy foreign minister.
For the first time in the nation's history, this election was held based on a mixed electoral system.
Voters picked their preferred candidates through the E-Saylov, or E-election, system, marking the country's gradual shift toward modernizing its electoral process.
The election was monitored by 851 international and foreign observers.
"I've been several times to Uzbekistan, but it's the very first time to be an observer for the election. And I've got the impression that there are so many young people voting, because Uzbekistan is an extremely young country. They really have a target. They want to have better education. They want to have better aids and support for families and for starting companies, and also to learn languages and to be free to see other countries. I'm confident that they are really proceeding," said Ewald Konig, publisher of Diplo.news, and also one of the election observers.
The last parliamentary elections took place in December 2019.
Uzbekistan holds parliamentary and local elections
