Uzbekistan Set To Announce Presidential Election Results

Uzbekistan’s Central Election Commission says it will announce preliminary results on March 30 from the country’s presidential election.

President Islam Karimov is widely expected to serve a fourth term in office as a result of the March 29 vote.

Karimov, 77, has eliminated almost all opposition during more than two decades in power in the former Soviet republic.

Critics have described the election as a sham in which Karimov’s hand-picked rivals effectively campaigned for him.

The other three candidates in the election were all from pro-government parties and praised Karimov’s policies during the campaign.

The Election Commission said on March 29 that turnout was about 91 percent in the Central Asian country of 29 million.

Commission Chairman Mirzoulugbek Abdusalomov told a press briefing that "no irregularities" had been reported by polling stations.

Based on reporting by AP, AFP, Reuters, and The Guardian