Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India, Sushil Chandra, led a three-member delegation to Uzbekistan to oversee the presidential election, that was held on October 24, 2021.
Key Points
- Indian delegation was present in Uzbekistan, from October 21-25 to oversee the presidential election, as an international observer.
- President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, won the election with more than 80% of the vote. He has been re-elected for a second five-year term.
- During the visit of Indian delegation, CEC Sushil Chandra and election commission of Uzbekistan led by Zainiddin Nizamkhodjaev, held a meeting on electoral cooperation.
- CEC highlighted the recent conduct of elections in India, and several avenues to strengthen electoral ties between both the countries by signing a MoU on electoral cooperation and training & capacity-building programmes.
- During the trip, Indian delegation visited some of the district-level election commissions for observing the initiatives taken there by the Uzbekistan CEC.
- They also visited polling stations and examined several aspects of the conduct of elections such as voters’ lists, early voting mechanisms and identification of voters.
India-Uzbekistan election cooperation
Election Commission of India (ECI) organises “International Election Visitors Programmes (IEVP)” during the poles. Uzbek delegates have been participating in the event regularly.
International Election Observation
International Election Observation has become an important mechanism to ensure election integrity in countries which are undergoing transition to democracy or in post-conflict societies. International helps in raising the confidence of voter and evaluate the legitimacy of an electoral process. This mechanism promotes bilateral exchanges of knowledge & information on electoral practices. International observer missions are organised by actors like European Union, African Union, OSCE, IRI, Carter Centre, OAS, Council of Europe etc.