ELECTION ANNOUNCEMENT REPORTEDLY PLANNED FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L TASHKENT 001373 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/26/2017 TAGS: PGOV PHUM UZ SUBJECT: ELECTION ANNOUNCEMENT REPORTEDLY PLANNED FOR SEPTEMBER Classified By: CDA Brad Hanson for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Two human rights contacts recently provided Post with information about the scheduling of the upcoming Uzbek presidential election. The Chairman of the Uzbek Human Rights Society "Ezgulik" provided Poloff with a copy of a Constitutional Court letter stating that election day will be the "first Sunday of the last ten-day period in December 2007" (December 23) as mandated by the Uzbek Constitution and the relevant decision of the Oliy Majlis. Additionally, a Central Election Committee representative reportedly said that an announcement about the December election will be made in September, according to a member of the Human Rights Alliance of Uzbekistan who is planning to run as a candidate in the election. ¶2. (C) Comment: Rumors about the upcoming election and President Karimov's future continue to fly in Tashkent, but Post has been struck by the absence of information about the election. While it has been widely assumed for some time that the election will be held on December 23, the Constitutional Court letter is the first time Post has seen any document stating official confirmation of the date. It also is anticipated that an announcement regarding the elections will be made around September 23, as Uzbek law states that election campaigns may begin only three months before election day. HANSON