Has Karimov's Election Campaign Begun?
Has Karimov's Election Campaign Begun?
Even though the Uzbek constitution makes it illegal for President Islam Karimov to stand in the election scheduled for December, NBCentralAsia observers say a recent round of visits to the regions probably marked the launch of his election campaign.
Uzbekistan is currently in political limbo. Under the constitution, a presidential election must be held in the same year that the leader’s seven-year term expires. Karimov, who has been president since 1991, was last inaugurated in January 2000, meaning that he will effectively have served an eight-year term by the time the election comes in December.
The election is now fast approaching, but Karimov has not said a word about it and even though Uzbek law does not allow the president to serve more than two consecutive terms, observers say he will not let that stand in his way.
Last week, Karimov visited the Namangan and Andijan regions in eastern Uzbekistan to meet the people. This was the latest leg of an ongoing tour that has seen Karimov travel to the western Bukhara, Khorezm and Navoi regions in early June and Karakalpakstan in the north of the country in May.
In a meeting with some farmers, Karimov discussed the sensitive issue of the May 2005 violence in Andijan. “During that period, Andijan residents showed strength of mind in counteracting the various lies and subversive activities and had their own opinion about what happened,” , according to the UzA news agency.
On May 13, 2005, government troops opened fire on a peaceful demonstration staged by Andijan residents. The authorities insist that most of the protesters were members of Islamic extremist groups who were a threat to the regime. According to other reports, the protesters were ordinary people who had gathered to demand a fair trial for several detained businessmen, and hundreds were killed when government troops shot into the crowd.
NBCentralAsia observers note that the president only met with farmers, peasants and industrial workers, leading them to believe that he was doing the groundwork for an election campaign.
“This is not just a planned trip but rather [a test of ] the popular mood with regard to the next election,” said an NBCentralAsia source in the Committee for the National Salvation of Uzbekistan, an opposition group.
An analyst based in Tashkent agrees that Karimov’s tour of Uzbekistan looks like election campaigning and there is a strong chance he will stand in the coming poll.
“Although the president’s latest trips are officially being termed familiarisation visits, the regional tour de facto marks beginning of the election campaign,” the analyst said.
(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)
Uzbekistan is currently in political limbo. Under the constitution, a presidential election must be held in the same year that the leader’s seven-year term expires. Karimov, who has been president since 1991, was last inaugurated in January 2000, meaning that he will effectively have served an eight-year term by the time the election comes in December.
The election is now fast approaching, but Karimov has not said a word about it and even though Uzbek law does not allow the president to serve more than two consecutive terms, observers say he will not let that stand in his way.
Last week, Karimov visited the Namangan and Andijan regions in eastern Uzbekistan to meet the people. This was the latest leg of an ongoing tour that has seen Karimov travel to the western Bukhara, Khorezm and Navoi regions in early June and Karakalpakstan in the north of the country in May.
In a meeting with some farmers, Karimov discussed the sensitive issue of the May 2005 violence in Andijan. “During that period, Andijan residents showed strength of mind in counteracting the various lies and subversive activities and had their own opinion about what happened,” , according to the UzA news agency.
On May 13, 2005, government troops opened fire on a peaceful demonstration staged by Andijan residents. The authorities insist that most of the protesters were members of Islamic extremist groups who were a threat to the regime. According to other reports, the protesters were ordinary people who had gathered to demand a fair trial for several detained businessmen, and hundreds were killed when government troops shot into the crowd.
NBCentralAsia observers note that the president only met with farmers, peasants and industrial workers, leading them to believe that he was doing the groundwork for an election campaign.
“This is not just a planned trip but rather [a test of ] the popular mood with regard to the next election,” said an NBCentralAsia source in the Committee for the National Salvation of Uzbekistan, an opposition group.
An analyst based in Tashkent agrees that Karimov’s tour of Uzbekistan looks like election campaigning and there is a strong chance he will stand in the coming poll.
“Although the president’s latest trips are officially being termed familiarisation visits, the regional tour de facto marks beginning of the election campaign,” the analyst said.
(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)
