CEC Sushil Chandra oversees Uzbekistan’s elections as international observer

CEC Sushil Chandra and Uzbekistan’s election commission, led by Zainiddin Nizamkhodjaev, held a meeting on electoral cooperation during the visit, the Election Commission of India said in a statement

India’s Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sushil Chandra led a three-member delegation to Uzbekistan from October 21-25 to oversee the country’s presidential election, held last Sunday, as an international observer.

India’s Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sushil Chandra led a three-member delegation to Uzbekistan from October 21-25 to oversee the country’s presidential election, held last Sunday, as an international observer. (PTI/File)

Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev swept to victory with more than 80% of the vote in the elections and was re-elected for a second five-year term, according to reports.

CEC Sushil Chandra and Uzbekistan’s election commission, led by Zainiddin Nizamkhodjaev, held a meeting on electoral cooperation during the visit, the Election Commission of India (ECI) said in a statement.

The CEC “spoke about the recent conduct of elections in India, and various avenues for strengthening electoral ties between the two countries through the signing of MoU on electoral cooperation and training and capacity-building programmes, which the ECI would be happy to organise for Uzbekistan’s election officials,” India’s central election body said.

Uzbek delegates have been participating in the ECI’s International Election Visitors Programmes (IEVP), which is held during polls.

The Uzbek election commission’s chairman, Nizamkhodjaev, thanked CEC Sushil Chandra for visiting his country for Sunday’s presidential polls.

The ECI said that during the trip to Uzbekistan, the Indian delegation visited a couple of district-level election commissions to observe the initiatives taken there by the Uzbek CEC. The Indian delegation also visited polling stations and examined the “various aspects of the conduct of elections, including voters’ lists, identification of voters, and early voting mechanisms”, the ECI said.

India’s CEC also met with officials of the Indian embassy, including Manish Prabhat, the Indian ambassador to Uzbekistan.