Event Report: EIAS Briefing Seminar on the Upcoming Elections in Uzbekistan

On 2 September 2021, EIAS hosted a briefing seminar on the upcoming presidential election in Uzbekistan. The discussion was chaired by EIAS Director, Ms Lin Goethals, with opening and welcoming remarks by the Ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the Kingdom of Belgium, H.E Mr Dilyor Khakimov and EIAS CEO, Mr Axel Goethals. Dr Gulnoza Ismailova, a member of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Uzbekistan and Deputy Director of the University of the World Economy and Diplomacy was invited as the Keynote speaker for the event. The briefing seminar was centred around electoral legislative reforms undertaken by the Uzbek government as well as further challenges for the country’s process of democratization and development. Presentations were followed by a Q&A session with the audience. Hosted in accordance with the latest COVID-19 regulations, this was the first in-person event for EIAS since September 2020. The following report is a brief summary of the discussions.