President of Uzbekistan

Head of state of Uzbekistan

The president of the Republic of Uzbekistan is the head of state and executive authority in Uzbekistan. The office of President was established in 1991, replacing the position of Chairperson of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Uzbek SSR, which had existed since 1925. The president is directly elected for a term of seven years, by citizens of Uzbekistan who have reached 18 years of age. Islam Karimov was the only President of Uzbekistan for 25 years following the establishment of the office; he won three consecutive elections which many consider to have been rigged. The third election was the most controversial since he had been elected twice and the current Constitution stipulated a maximum of two terms. The official explanation was that his first term in office, of five years, was under the previous Constitution and did not count towards the new limit. He died in office on 2 September 2016. A joint session of both houses of the Supreme Assembly of Uzbekistan appointed Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev as interim President on 8 September 2016. In December 2016, Mirziyoyev was elected President in a popular vote, though international observers described the election as not free and fair, due to restrictions on media reporting and ballot stuffing.

The constitution states that the officeholder shall be elected by citizens of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the basis of universal, equal and direct suffrage by secret ballot.

The Office of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan is the informational, advisory and organizational body of the presidency, which directly reports to the President of the Republic. The presidential administration is guided by the Constitution and laws of Uzbekistan, as well as decrees, by implementing resolutions and orders of the officeholder.

The official residence and workplace of the president of Uzbekistan is the Kuksaroy Presidential Palace in Tashkent, serving as the president's official residence since 2016. Prior to this, the Ok Saroy Presidential Palace was the official residence of President Islam Karimov. A residence that is also used is called Durmen, based in Tashkent's Qibray District. Since he came to power in December 2016, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has used the district to a new residence for himself, which would include a presidential highway and a presidential compound with an interior that contains Argentinian blue marble slabs and Swarovski crystals.

The Uzbek government operates a Boeing 767 300 and an Airbus A320 200 for use during state visits to other countries and travel by air to other parts of the country. These jets, which are provided by Uzbekistan Airways, have Uzbekistan's flag on the vertical stabilizers instead of the company's logo, symbolizing the status of the jet as a presidential plane. When it comes to transport by land, the president always employs as special Mercedes Benz S Class car which is used to transport the president throughout the city of Tashkent as well as take him/her to their residence at the end of the work day. The National Guard of Uzbekistan and the State Security Service are primarily responsible for the president's security when he/she is travelling. Kuksaroy is always protected by members of the armed forces and the SNB at all times.

CandidatePartyVotes%Shavkat MirziyoyevIndependent13,625,05587.71Robaxon MaxmudovaJustice Social Democratic Party693,6344.47Ulugbek InoyatovPeople's Democratic Party629,1164.05Abdushukur XamzayevEcological Party585,7113.77Invalid/blank votes117,889–Total15,533,516100Registered voters/turnout19,593,83879.88Source: CEC