Presidential elections were held in

Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...

on 9 January 2000. The result was a victory for incumbent

Islam Karimov Islam Abduganiyevich Karimov ( uz, Islom Abdugʻaniyevich Karimov / Ислом Абдуғаниевич Каримов, italics=no; russian: link=no, Ислам Абдуганиевич Каримов; 30 January 1938 – 2 September 2016) was t ...

, who won 95.7% of the vote. Turnout was reported to be 95.1%. Two candidates participated in the elections; Islam Karimov, the incumbent president and Abdulkhafiz Jalolov, the First Secretary of the largest party in the country, the

People's Democratic Party of Uzbekistan The People's Democratic Party of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ўзбекистан Халқ Демократик Партияси, ЎзХДП. Russian: Народно-демократическая партия Узбекистана, НДПУ) is a politic ...

(XDP). While Jalolov was nominated by the XDP, Karimov was surprisingly nominated by a new party, the

Self-Sacrifice National Democratic Party The Self-Sacrifice National Democratic Party ( uz, Fidokorlar Milliy Demokratik Partiyasi) was a political party in Uzbekistan. At the 2004–05 Uzbek parliamentary election, the party won 18 out of the 120 seats in the Legislative Chamber of ...

(FMDP). Many outside observers stated that Karimov was actually in control of these two parties, and Jalolov was only allowed to run as a candidate to give an illusion of democratic election. The elections were not democratic. Jalolov, a former

Marxist Marxism is a left-wing to far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand class relations and social conflict and a dialecti ...

historian and ideologist from the defunct

Communist Party of Uzbekistan The Communist Party of Uzbekistan (russian: Коммунистическая партия Узбекистана, uz, Ўзбекистон Коммунистик Партияси), initially known as Communist Party (Bolshevik) of Uzbekistan, ...

, was little known to voters, compared to Karimov. The two candidates' programmes were described by

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a United States government funded organization that broadcasts and reports news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Caucasus, and the Middle East where it says tha ...

as having only few differences. Jalolov was also reported to always praise and quote Karimov in his campaign speeches. At the end, after he voted, Jalolov stated that he had voted for Karimov "...for stability, peace, our nation's independence and the development of Uzbekistan". Many of the voters, when asked by the BBC, also said that they supported Karimov. The

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, pro ...

stated that the vote "falls far short of OSCE commitments in terms of fulfilling obligations for democratic elections" and not giving voters a real choice. The elections were also criticized by Karimov's opponents, Muhammad Solih (a candidate in the 1991 presidential elections), and Abdurakhim Pulatov.Uzbekistan: Voters 'Choose' Incumbent President
/ref>

Results

References

{{Uzbekistani elections

Presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The p ...

Presidential elections in Uzbekistan