Voters in Uzbekistan are choosing a new parliament in an election that features no real opposition to the Central Asian country’s strongman president, despite a recent overhaul of the electoral system and years of reform that have included economic liberalization and easing censorship.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev retains a tight grip on power in the country of 37 million. Since taking office in 2016, he has enjoyed broad support for a slew of political and economic reforms that relaxed the harshly repressive policies of his predecessor, longtime dictatorial leader Ismail Karimov.
