Li Yihai, Secretary-General and Executive Director of Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences Think Tank Foundation (SASS TTF), commented on the results of the nationwide referendum held on April 30 in Uzbekistan and the initiation of snap presidential elections by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev:

– The nationwide referendum held on April 30 on introducing amendments and additions to the Constitution of Uzbekistan and, most importantly, its results – impressive support from the multinational people of Uzbekistan are clear evidence of the correct course of the President of Uzbekistan on large-scale reform of the country.

The amendments and additions to the Constitution adopted by all the people of Uzbekistan are aimed primarily at building a socially just and equal society in which the interests of all population segments are taken into account. National priorities dictate the constitutional reform in Uzbekistan and reflect the desire to strengthen further the legal foundations for the country's sustainable development.

In the renewed Constitution, Uzbekistan proclaimed itself a social state and firmly consolidated its status as a sovereign, democratic, and secular state. The renewed Constitution creates a solid foundation for further sustainable development of the country and is a solid legal foundation for building a New Uzbekistan.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev actively promotes the concept of running the state in the interests of the people, in connection with which he emphasizes that “the Government should serve the people”, vigorously solve employment problems, implement measures to combat poverty, expand social security, develop healthcare and education systems, support youth and women, improve the human rights situation, comprehensively promote people’s livelihood, so that people can fully enjoy the benefits of reform, significantly improve people’s living standards.

Thanks to progressive, comprehensive, and irreversible reforms, Uzbekistan is becoming a new type of competitive and dynamic country, which, among other things, pursues an open and active foreign policy and strives for a comprehensive, balanced, and mutually beneficial goal of constructive international relations.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, announcing the refusal of the remaining three and a half years of the presidential term and the holding of early presidential elections, justified this decision by the fact that the entire people of the country are looking forward to significant changes and reforms in all spheres of life, the further development of the country.

As expected, the upcoming presidential elections in the Republic of Uzbekistan are scheduled for July 9, 2023.

I am confident that the wise people of Uzbekistan will make their only right choice in the upcoming presidential elections.

I would like to note the high level of strategic cooperation and bilateral interaction between Uzbekistan and China in the political, trade, economic, investment, cultural, and humanitarian spheres in the security field. An essential factor in successfully developing cooperation between Uzbekistan and China is the personal friendship between Presidents Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Xi Jinping.

I visited Uzbekistan many times to develop cooperation with research institutes and centers of the country and to participate as an international observer in parliamentary and presidential elections.

UzA