Brussels, 01/04/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 31 March, the European Union once again called on Uzbekistan to implement fully the “important” recommendations for the elections made by the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) after Uzbekistan's presidential elections on 29 March. President Islam Karimov has led the country since 1989 and was re-elected for a fourth five-year mandate with over 90% of the votes. Turnout was reportedly above 91%.
Stating that it had followed these elections closely, including the pre-electoral phase, the campaign and the level of engagement of political parties and citizens, the EU said in a press release that it took note of the preliminary findings and conclusions of the OSCE/ODIHR, “including on significant aspects of the electoral process that were not in line with legal provisions on elections or with Uzbekistan's OSCE commitments and other international obligations”. “It is regrettable that previous recommendations by the ODIHR were only partially implemented by the Uzbekistani authorities”, the EU adds.
While acknowledging the resolve of the authorities of Uzbekistan to have a large presence of national and international observers, the EU calls on the Uzbekistani authorities to address effectively the restrictions and irregularities mentioned in the OSCE/ODIHR preliminary statement, “in particular as regards the fundamental freedoms of association and expression”. Over 300 international observers were accredited. The EU stands ready to assist Uzbekistan in its efforts to bring its election process into line with OSCE commitments and other international standards for democratic elections, the EU spokesperson says.
In its preliminary report, the OSCE underlined that the current president had dominated the political and media landscape without any real opposition. Continuing legal and organisational loopholes in the electoral process remained unanswered, the OSCE stated. It also stated that fundamental freedoms of association and expression were reduced. (Camille-Cerise Gessant)