Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey, of India, has been chosen as an international observer for the upcoming Presidential elections in Uzbekistan. The invitation to Pandey was extended by the Central Election Commission of Uzbekistan. Along with a team of three members including deputy election commissioners Hirdesh Kumar and R K Gupta, Pandey will be observing the conduct of early Presidential elections in Uzbekistan. This election, which will take place on Sunday, is being held in accordance with the new constitution adopted in Uzbekistan after a referendum held in April this year. The election has garnered attention from the international community.

Pandey and the Chairman of the Central Election Commission of Uzbekistan had a meeting on electoral cooperation in July 2023. During the meeting, Pandey discussed India’s recent elections and explored ways to further strengthen electoral ties between the two countries. This includes signing an MoU on electoral cooperation, as well as training and capacity building programs.

The electoral cooperation between India and Uzbekistan has been ongoing, with delegates from Uzbekistan participating in the International Election Visitors Programmes (IEVP) organized by the Election Commission of India (ECI). Additionally, officials from Uzbekistan have attended training programs at ECI under the ITEC (Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation) program.

In Uzbekistan, the President is elected for a seven-year term from a single nationwide constituency. The country has an electorate of about 20 million, with each polling station catering to a maximum of 3000 voters. Over 22 million eligible voters are registered for the upcoming elections.

Prior to the observation mission, the Indian delegation had visited the 7th and 14th district election commissions in Uzbekistan to gain insights into the electoral administration, procedures, and initiatives of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Uzbekistan.

Apart from observing the elections, Pandey is scheduled to interact with the representatives of the Non-Resident Indian (NRI) community based in Tashkent. The discussions will focus on Indian elections and provide an opportunity for the NRI community to engage with the Election Commissioner.