Turkistan Newsletter - Turkistan Bulteni - Thu, 13 Jan 2000 22:08:58 ISSN:1386-6265 Uze Tengri basmasar asra yer telinmeser, Turk bodun ilining torugin kem artati, udaci erti.[From Orkhon runic inscriptions] <<>><<>><>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<><< #1. US slams Uzbek election as unfree, unfair and laughable #2. VOA: EDITORIAL: UZBEKISTAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION #3. Press Statement by James P. Rubin, Spokesman #4. U.S. State Department suggests Uzbek elections were rigged ******* #1. US slams Uzbek election as unfree, unfair and laughable WASHINGTON, Jan 12 (AFP) - The United States on Wednesday slammed as a laughable farce Uzbekistan's weekend presidential election which returned incumbent Islam Karimov to power with more than 90 percent of the vote. "The US government believes that this election was neither free nor fair and offered Uzbekistan's voters no true choice," State Department spokesman James Rubin told reporters. Rubin noted that the government had refused to register bona fide opposition parties, would not allow members of the those parties to stand for president and broke into laughter when he mentioned that the only candidate permitted to run against Karimov had said he was going to vote for the inbcumbent. "The sole candidate permitted to oppose President Karimov was a public supporter of Karimov's policies and leadership and was quoted during the campaign as stating he himself intended to vote for Karimov," Rubin said, chuckling incredulously. That candidate, Abdulhasiz Dzhalalov, a Marxist philosophy professor, took only 4.17 percent in the poll and had made headlines when he conceded that he entered the race only to make it look democratic. After casting his ballot in Sunday's poll, which was boycotted by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Dzhalalov admitted that he had voted for Karimov. Karimov, a former Communist boss who for the last decade ran this isolated and poor Muslim state with an iron fist, ended up with 91.9 percent of the vote. Rubin, who also noted that Uzbekistan's December 5 parliamentary elections had been "seriously flawed," urged the country to move towards reform. ******** DATE=1/13/2000 TYPE=EDITORIAL TITLE=EDITORIAL: UZBEKISTAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION NUMBER=0-08603 INTERNET=NO CONTENT=   Anncr: The Voice of America presents differing points of view on a wide variety of issues. Next, an editorial expressing the policies of the United States Government: Voice: This month, President Islam [IS-lahm] Karimov [kah-REE-moff] won election to a second term in Uzbekistan. Mr. Karimov got more than ninety percent of the vote. Even Abdulkhafiz [Ahb-dul-HAH-feez] Dzhalalov [Jah-LAH-loff], the only candidate allowed to run against the incumbent, said he cast his ballot for Mr. Karimov. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe did not send a mission to observe the election. The O-S-C-E said that Uzbek voters had "no genuine choice and the election cannot be considered competitive." The former head of Uzbekistan's Communist party, Islam Karimov became president as the result of flawed elections that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. A Soviet-style referendum in 1995 extended his term to 2000. Under Mr. Karimov, Uzbekistan has avoided the upheaval and violence experienced by other former Soviet republics. But relative stability has come at a high price. All opposition parties in Uzbekistan are banned. Censorship is tight and journalists are restricted in their work. Dissidents are either harassed, imprisoned, or forced to flee the country. The practice of Islam is tightly controlled by the state, which approves clerics and regulates congregations. As human rights groups have reported, Mr. Karimov's crackdown on Muslim extremists has also resulted in persecution of peaceful believers. Moreover, under Mr. Karimov's authoritarian rule, the Uzbek economy has stagnated. The country is rich in gold, uranium, and other mineral resources and has a significant cotton industry. Nevertheless, most Uzbeks live in poverty. Elections, such as the one just held in Uzbekistan, are meaningless unless opposition parties are free to participate. A government only becomes accountable to the people when there is a genuine political choice. The people of Uzbekistan deserve the opportunity to choose a government that respects human rights and promotes economic growth. Anncr: That was an editorial expressing the policies of the United States Government. If you have a comment, please write to Editorials, V-O-A, Washington, D-C, 20237, U-S-A. You may also comment at www-dot-ibb-dot-gov-slash-editorials, or fax us at (202) 619-1043. 12-Jan-2000 16:47 PM EDT (12-Jan-2000 2147 UTC) ********* #3. Press Statement by James P. Rubin, Spokesman January 12, 1999 Uzbekistan: Presidential Elections Flawed On January 9, 2000, Uzbekistan held a presidential election. Final results were announced yesterday, January 10. Incumbent President Islam Karimov won re-election with 91.9 percent of the vote. Voter turnout was about 95 percent. The U.S. Government believes that this election was neither free nor fair and offere Uzbekistan's voters no true choice. The Government of Uzbekistan refused to register truly independent, opposition parties, nor did it permit members of these parties to run for president. The sole candidate permitted to oppose President Karimov was a public supporter of Karimov's policies and leadership, and was quoted during the campaign as stating he himself intended to vote for Karimov. Following seriously flawed parliamentary elections on December 5, 1999, and after reviewing preparations for the presidential election, the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) decided not to send official election observers to the January 9 presidential election. The U.S. government fully and publicly supported ODIHR's conclusions and decision in this respect. The U.S. regrets that the Government of Uzbekistan, in its conduct of this election, has failed again to meet its freely-given commitments as a participating state in the OSCE. President Karimov publicly stated that, if re-elected, he intended to use his new term to embark on a program of political and economic reform. The U.S. government would strongly support a program extending basic human and civil rights to Uzbekistan's citizens, as well as undertaking economic reforms. ------US DEPARTMENT OF STATE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMEN PRESS STATEMENT------ ********* #4. U.S. State Department suggests Uzbek elections were rigged January 13, 2000 WASHINGTON (AP) -- The United States suggested Wednesday that incumbent President Islam Karimov's overwhelmingly election to a second term in Uzbekistan <uzbekistan.tashkent.gif>, Central Asia's most populous nation, was rigged. Karimov, Uzbekistan's leader since 1991, took 91.9 percent of the vote, the Central Election Commission said in Tashkent. His only opponent, Abdulkhafiz Dzhalalov, won 4.2 percent. Karimov had been expected to easily win the vote in Uzbekistan, a country of 24 million. Even Dzhalalov acknowledged he had voted for the incumbent -- which draw a snicker from State Department spokesman James P. Rubin as he called the election neither free nor fair -- and not offering voters a true choice. The government of Uzbekistan refused to register truly independent opposition parties, nor did it permit members of these parties to run for president, Rubin said.