Tashkent, October 25: The turnout at the Sunday presidential election in Uzbekistan surpassed 80 percent, the country's Central Election Commission says. As of 8 p.m. local time on Sunday (15:00 GMT), when the poll stations closed, 16,036,914 Uzbek citizens had cast their ballot, which is 80.8 percent of eligible voters.

During the previous presidential election held in Uzbekistan in 2016, the turnout was 87.83 percent, according to the Central Election Commission. Also Read | COVID-19 in China: Beijing Tightens Curbs on Inbound Travel as Coronavirus Cases Surge.

Deputy Chairman of the Central Election Commission Bakhrom Kuchkarov said earlier on Sunday that the presidential vote was recognized as valid. Under the national law, 33 percent of registered voters in Uzbekistan must cast their ballot for the elections to be recognized as valid. Also Read | eNaira: Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari to Launch Country’s Digital Currency.

Commenting on the Sunday voting process, the head of the monitoring mission of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly, Daniela De Ridder, said that the presidential election was well-organized and held in a transparent manner.

The OSCE mission head added that representatives of all five political parties registered in the country were present at polling stations and could monitor the process.

All five political parties registered in Uzbekistan were able to nominate their candidates for the presidential election and the registration of the candidates was completed in mid-September.

Incumbent Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, 64, from the Uzbekistan Liberal Democratic Party (UzLiDeP), is expected to win the vote. Mirziyoyev, who took office in 2016, has spoken in favor of expanding cooperation with Russia, China and the US, as well as for Eurasian Economic Union integration.

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