oday, the people of Uzbekistan are voting to elect a president. The current term of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was to run until 2025 but the president cut it short and on May 8, announced snap polls. The polls come against the backdrop of wide-ranging constitutional reforms in government and governance structures in Uzbekistan, leading to a new chapter in the country’s history.

President Mirziyoyev came to power in 2016. Over the years, he has proved a dynamic leader capable of leading the 35 million-strong nation of Uzbekistan to new heights of economic prosperity and socio-political stability. The president has received praise for putting Uzbekistan on the path of social and political liberalisation as well as pulling the economy out of the shadow of Soviet protectionism and opening it for foreign investment and trade.

Thanks to the reforms, except for a brief drop during the Covid-19 outbreak, the economy has shown steady growth, leading to discernible improvement in the overall outlook.

Reforms:

On April 30, the Uzbek people voted with an overwhelming majority (more than 90 percent) in a referendum to overhaul the country’s constitution through a wide-ranging amendments package. The president championed the constitutional overhaul, stating that it will improve governance and quality of life by granting more constitutional rights to the people of Uzbekistan.

Eight days after the referendum was held, President Mirziyoyev cut short his second term in office and announced snap polls arguing that he needed a fresh mandate to undertake more reforms.

President Mirziyoyev has an impressive track record. The polls may therefore pave the way for accelerated development of Uzbekistan. The continuation of policies and the team implementing those will likely result in the economy of Uzbekistan continuing on the recent trajectory of political and economic reform.

While Uzbekistan undergoes reforms under the leadership of President Mirziyoyev, the geo-economic environment in the region remains in a flux, creating a host of opportunities for Tashkent to bolster its economic profile. Uzbekistan sits at the crossroads of the Silk Road connecting various parts of the larger Eurasian landmass.

Such is the significance of Central Asian states, including Uzbekistan, for the future geo-economics that in 2013 Chinese President, Xi Jinping, chose his visit to Central Asia to announce the land leg of his signature infrastructure initiative now renamed as Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Uzbekistan joined the BRI and the related Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in 2015. President Mirziyoyev participated in the 2017 and 2019 BRI Forums and in September 2022, the Chinese president paid a visit to Uzbekistan. During these interactions, dozens of trade and investment deals were signed between Uzbekistan and China, cementing Uzbekistan’s position in the BRI.

For Uzbekistan, the BRI might provide much-needed infrastructure to connect the landlocked country with the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea, thus expanding the commercial and trade opportunities for the country.

Uzbekistan is an important producer of oil and natural gas. It is also among the top exporters of cotton. However, until now trade has been limited largely to its immediate neighbourhood. This can change if the BRI infrastructure helps it expand access to other parts of the world.

On the other hand, thanks to the comparatively high per capita income within the region, the BRI also provides opportunities for industrialised countries like China and South East Asian nations to find willing buyers of consumer goods in Uzbekistan.

The ongoing economic and political reforms in Uzbekistan, expected to gain momentum if President Mirziyoyev wins the polls, promise a bright and sustainable future for the country. The quickly changing geo-economic environment in its neighbourhood has added to the economic prospects of the Central Asian state.

These changes herald the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Uzbekistan marked with greater prosperity and development for its people and a steady elevation of its global profile.

The writer is an Islamabad-based academic and senior strategic affairs expert. He can be reached at sardarhamayoun@hotmail.com