AP News, November 19th, 2007
Uzbekistan's president has registered as a candidate in next month's election, the electoral commission said Monday, even though the constitution bars him from seeking a third consecutive term.
Three other candidates have also registered to run in the presidential election on Dec. 23, said Central Election Commission chairman Mirzo-Ulugbek Abdusalomov.
President Islam Karimov, who has ruled the Central Asian nation with an iron hand since before the Soviet collapse of 1991, is expected to win the vote. The other candidates, officials from pro-government political parties, are seen by observers as nominal figures fielded to create an illusion of a democratic vote.
Five opposition candidates have been denied registration and faced official pressure, intimidation and threats.
Uzbekistan used to host a U.S. air base supporting the military campaign in neighboring Afghanistan, but evicted the American troops in the wake of Western criticism over the government's suppression of an uprising in 2005 in the eastern city of Andijan.
Karimov has won two elections, but neither was recognized by international observers as free or fair. He has had his term extended twice through referendums. His current term expired in January, but he exploited a legal loophole to stay on for an extra year.
Although the constitution bars presidents from serving more than two consecutive terms, Karimov earlier this month accepted a pro-government party's nomination to run in the upcoming election. No official explanation has been provided.
Karimov, 69, a former Communist boss, has stifled opposition and silenced critics in the nation of 27 million.
