Hope, Change and Everything In-Between

When Uzbeks cast their votes in parliamentary and local elections on Oct. 27, their hopes will be riding high.

Voters will participate in a new electoral system that mixes first-past-the-post-style majority voting, and proportional voting that awards seats to candidates based on how many votes their political parties receive – a recipe for more diverse political representation.

Potentially more importantly, the election could become a mandate for Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s push to integrate the landlocked Central Asian country and former Soviet republic more deeply into the international order – a task that involves many hurdles.

Mirziyoyev wants Uzbekistan to join the World Trade Organization by 2026, for example, to transition his Soviet-style economy from an exporter of raw materials to a manufacturer of value-added durable goods, clothing and food. But less than a third of his country’s laws conform to the organization’s regulations, reported eurasia.net.

Still, the president has aimed to transform the uncompetitive, state-led economy into a “beacon” for global investors.

In that vein, Uzbekistan has already become a destination for medical tourists from neighboring countries seeking quality surgical procedures and other care at cheaper prices.

“I’m not saying we don’t have good doctors in Tajikistan, but I didn’t want to take any risk, especially when my eyesight is at stake,” Ranokhon Burhonova, one of almost 60,000 Tajiks who underwent surgeries recently in Uzbekistan – in her case, cataract removal – said during an interview with Radio Free Europe.

Mirziyoyev has also lowered restrictions to foreign investment and allowed international non-government organizations to operate in the country – in stark contrast to Russia, where President Vladimir Putin often depicts foreign groups, especially human rights advocates, as fronts for espionage or tools for destabilization, according to EU Reporter. Russia made draconian changes to its foreign NGO rules two years ago, Human Rights Watch noted.

An architecturally stunning scientific research institute and arts center in New Tashkent, an expansion of the country’s capital city, is another example of how Uzbekistan is trying to build a more dynamic future, added designboom.

Meanwhile, Uzbek voters want reforms, including more transparency in government and less corruption, more judicial independence, and environmental protections in addition to economic reforms and other investments, the Diplomat wrote. They want loosened restrictions on journalists in a country still deemed authoritarian and “unfree” by Freedom House.

Still, politicians appear to be responding to voters. Some are promising liberal reforms. Others are pledging economic growth or, alternatively, ecologically friendly sustainable growth. Others are appealing to Uzbeks’ national identity.

The test will come after the pro-reform winners of the election enter office, say observers.

They paint a remarkably optimistic picture of the transformation of the country since 2016, when Uzbekistan began trying to shake off its Soviet legacy and the dictatorship that followed. But they caution that much is left to be done, and wonder if the country’s next leaders will have the will – or ability – to continue that transformation.

“One thing is clear – next month’s election marks a historic step for a country still emerging from its post-Soviet legacy, but with its sights firmly set on a more democratic and prosperous future,” wrote International Policy Digest. But even so, “Uzbekistan’s path to becoming a full-fledged democracy remains uncertain. The upcoming elections are expected to provide a clearer picture of how far the country has come,” and where it is going.