11/07/23 (Agence Europe) – While the EU considered that the presidential elections in Uzbekistan on 9 July were “well prepared”, it regrets the irregularities in the process, said European External Action Service (EEAS) spokeswoman Nabila Massrali on Tuesday 11 July. The EU notes the findings of the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights observation mission, “in particular that the election took place ‘in an environment where fundamental freedoms and the right to stand were restricted’”. The EEAS spokeswoman said she regretted “that a number of irregularities undermined the ability of voters to make an informed choice”. In this election, the outgoing President, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, was re-elected with 87% of the votes. (LM)