MOSCOW — Uzbekistan's acting president has overwhelmingly won a tightly controlled presidential election in the Central Asian country's first vote since the death of authoritarian leader Islam Karimov, election officials said Monday. The 59-year-old Mirziyaev, who had been the country’s prime minister since 2003, was made acting president six days after longtime President Islam Karimov’s death was announced in early September. Karimov led Uzbekistan since before the 1991 Soviet collapse, first as its communist boss and then as its president. Following Karimov’s sudden death in September, Mirziyoyev shifted into the acting president’s job quickly and without any visible tensions, highlighting apparent consensus between regional clans. Running against Mirziyoyev in Sunday's election are Khatamjon Ketmonov, Narimon Umarov and Sarvar Otamuratov, the nominees of three parties in parliament which present themselves as the opposition but have always toed the official line. While there were some minor improvements compared to previous elections, the vote was marred by a muzzled media, lack of independent candidates and widespread falsification, according to a report released by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. The United States, Russia and China all watch developments in Uzbekistan closely and are concerned about its stability because it is a major exporter of natural gas and cotton.
Voters in Uzbekistan go to the polls for a presidential election, the first since the death of Islam Karimov who governed the country for 25 years.