Uzbekistan’s leader poised for landslide victory in presidential election

MOSCOW (AP) — Uzbekistan is set to hold a snap presidential election, a vote that follows a constitutional referendum that extended the incumbent’s term from five to seven years. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was elected in 2021 to a second five-year term, the limit allowed by the constitution. But the amendments approved in April’s plebiscite allowed him to begin the count of terms anew and run for two more, raising the possibility that he could stay in office until 2037. Mirziyoyev is set to win Sunday’s vote by landslide against three token rivals. The 65-year-old has dominated Uzbek politics since taking helm in 2016 after the death of longtime dictatorial leader Islam Karimov, easing some of Karimov’s draconian policies.