Uzbekistan's top election body declared Sunday's parliamentary elections in the ex-Soviet republic valid, with more than 50% of registered voters casting their ballots.
Mirza-Ulugbek Abdasalomov, chairman of the central election commission, said that 57.3% of registered voters had come to the polls, crossing the electoral threshold of 33%.
Uzbekistan is voting on Sunday in elections to the lower house of parliament, with 517 candidates contesting 150 seats in the ex-Soviet republic's legislature.
Over 270 observers from 36 countries and representatives of four international missions are monitoring the polls.
The number of seats in the lower house of Uzbekistan's bicameral parliament was increased last December from 120 to 150, with 15 seats reserved for election by the country's Ecological Movement.
Almost equal numbers of candidates represent the Adolat Social Democratic Party (123), the Milliy Tiklanish Democratic Party (125), the Liberal Democratic Party (135) and the People's Democratic Party (134). All the four parties currently have seats in the Oliy Majlis.
In an interview with the Central Asia Online edition, Veronica Szente Goldston, Human Rights Watch Advocacy Director for Europe and Central Asia, described the election campaign in Uzbekistan as oppressed by the government.
"Human rights are violated everywhere around the country, there is no political competition, all the parties that are running for this election are supporting the government", she said on telephone.
TASHKENT, December 27 (RIA Novosti)
