Uzbekistan party loyal to president wins tightly-controlled vote

Uzbekistan's ruling party loyal to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev won its weekend election, according to preliminary results announced on Monday, in an unsurprising result in the tightly-controlled Central Asian country.

Uzbekistan has undergone economic and social reforms under Mirziyoyev, in power since 2016, but his regime remains authoritarian.

Mirziyoyev's Liberal Democratic Party won 64 out of 150 seats in parliament, with voter turnout at 74.72 per cent, according to the Uzbek electoral commission.

The vote was held with no real opposition.

Five parties — all more or less loyal to the president — were authorised to take part.

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, who monitored the vote, said the election lacked a "genuine choice".

"Despite the ongoing reforms, fundamental freedoms remain disproportionately limited both by legislation and in practice," the organisation said.

It said the media was "limited by restrictions on free expression, resulting in minimal access for voters to diverse viewpoints."

But "positively women were well represented among candidates and in election administration," the OSCE added.

Uzbekistan is a gas-rich former Soviet republic in Central Asia of around 35 million people.

Mirziyoyev has said he is pursuing a policy of openness after taking office following the death of longtime dictator Islam Karimov.