October 31, 2024
A weekly review of news and analysis of elections in Eurasia, usually posted on Thursdays and occasionally updated throughout the week.
The Silk Road city of Bukhara, Uzbekistan. Photo credit: Wikimedia/Adam Jones (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Upcoming Eurasia Elections
Moldova Presidential Runoff: November 3, 2024
Moldova held a presidential election and referendum on joining the European Union on October 20. Voters narrowly chose to pursue EU membership. Maia Sandu, Moldova’s pro-west president, came in first in the presidential election but did not win a majority and therefore will face Alexandr Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor-general who is backed by the pro-Russia faction, in a runoff on November 3.
Tom Balmforth, Reuters (October 30, 2024): Moldova heads for presidential runoff that could open door to closer Russia ties
Carnegie Endowment (October 25, 2024): Moldova’s Ambiguous Election Results Are Unsurprising
Belarus Presidential Election: January 26, 2025
Aleksandr Lukashenko has been president of Belarus since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The country last held a presidential election on August 9, 2020. In a vote widely deemed not free and not fair, Lukashenko declared victory. However, the opposition declared that its candidate, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, had in fact won. Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians took to the streets in protest to demand free and fair elections, even in the face of assault and arrest by security forces.
In 2022, Lukashenko held a constitutional referendum on February 27, 2022 as a way of extending his time in power (he has been president since 1994 – the first and only president of post-Soviet Belarus). The changes allow Lukashenko to remain in office until 2035 and scrap Belarus’s non-nuclear status.
AP (October 29, 2024): Belarus commission approves Lukashenko’s 7th term bid but rejects opposition candidates
Darya Grishchuk, Balkan Insight (October 24, 2024): Belarus’s release of political prisoners is fooling few in Europe
Past Eurasia Elections
Georgia Parliamentary Elections: October 26, 2024
Reuters (October 28, 2024): Georgian president calls for protests after ruling party wins disputed election; U.S., allies call for probe
Emma Burrows, AP (October 27, 2024): Georgian president won’t recognize parliamentary election result and calls for a protest
Uzbekistan Parliamentary and Local Elections: October 27, 2024
Under Islam Karimov, who ruled Uzbekistan from independence until his death in 2016, Uzbekistan was a brutal dictatorship. His successor, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, has branded himself as a reformer. However, Freedom House notes: “While reforms adopted since President Shavkat Mirziyoyev took office in 2016 have led to improvements on some issues, Uzbekistan remains an authoritarian state with few signs of democratization. No opposition parties operate legally.”
AP (October 28, 2024): Parties loyal to Uzbekistan’s president win parliament seats in election devoid of real opposition
OSCE (October 28, 2024): Voters lacked a genuine choice in Uzbekistan’s technically well-prepared parliamentary elections
Catherine Putz, The Diplomat (October 28, 2024): Uzbekistan’s Parliament Election Boosts Ruling Party
Chris Rickleton, RFE/RL (October 26, 2024): Uzbekistan’s Parliamentary Elections And The Pretense Of Change
Navbahor Imamova, Voice of America (October 24, 2024): Still without any opposition, Uzbekistan votes for parliament
Regional Analysis
Katherine Spencer, Atlantic Council (October 24, 2024): Moldovan and Georgian elections highlight Russia’s regional ambitions
Elections On Deck
Eurasia This Week: October 31, 2024
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Last Updated: November 8, 2024 by 21votes
October 31, 2024
A weekly review of news and analysis of elections in Eurasia, usually posted on Thursdays and occasionally updated throughout the week.
Upcoming Eurasia Elections
Moldova Presidential Runoff: November 3, 2024
Moldova held a presidential election and referendum on joining the European Union on October 20. Voters narrowly chose to pursue EU membership. Maia Sandu, Moldova’s pro-west president, came in first in the presidential election but did not win a majority and therefore will face Alexandr Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor-general who is backed by the pro-Russia faction, in a runoff on November 3.
Tom Balmforth, Reuters (October 30, 2024): Moldova heads for presidential runoff that could open door to closer Russia ties
Carnegie Endowment (October 25, 2024): Moldova’s Ambiguous Election Results Are Unsurprising
Belarus Presidential Election: January 26, 2025
Aleksandr Lukashenko has been president of Belarus since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The country last held a presidential election on August 9, 2020. In a vote widely deemed not free and not fair, Lukashenko declared victory. However, the opposition declared that its candidate, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, had in fact won. Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians took to the streets in protest to demand free and fair elections, even in the face of assault and arrest by security forces.
In 2022, Lukashenko held a constitutional referendum on February 27, 2022 as a way of extending his time in power (he has been president since 1994 – the first and only president of post-Soviet Belarus). The changes allow Lukashenko to remain in office until 2035 and scrap Belarus’s non-nuclear status.
AP (October 29, 2024): Belarus commission approves Lukashenko’s 7th term bid but rejects opposition candidates
Darya Grishchuk, Balkan Insight (October 24, 2024): Belarus’s release of political prisoners is fooling few in Europe
Past Eurasia Elections
Georgia Parliamentary Elections: October 26, 2024
Reuters (October 28, 2024): Georgian president calls for protests after ruling party wins disputed election; U.S., allies call for probe
Emma Burrows, AP (October 27, 2024): Georgian president won’t recognize parliamentary election result and calls for a protest
Uzbekistan Parliamentary and Local Elections: October 27, 2024
Under Islam Karimov, who ruled Uzbekistan from independence until his death in 2016, Uzbekistan was a brutal dictatorship. His successor, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, has branded himself as a reformer. However, Freedom House notes: “While reforms adopted since President Shavkat Mirziyoyev took office in 2016 have led to improvements on some issues, Uzbekistan remains an authoritarian state with few signs of democratization. No opposition parties operate legally.”
AP (October 28, 2024): Parties loyal to Uzbekistan’s president win parliament seats in election devoid of real opposition
OSCE (October 28, 2024): Voters lacked a genuine choice in Uzbekistan’s technically well-prepared parliamentary elections
Catherine Putz, The Diplomat (October 28, 2024): Uzbekistan’s Parliament Election Boosts Ruling Party
Chris Rickleton, RFE/RL (October 26, 2024): Uzbekistan’s Parliamentary Elections And The Pretense Of Change
Navbahor Imamova, Voice of America (October 24, 2024): Still without any opposition, Uzbekistan votes for parliament
Regional Analysis
Katherine Spencer, Atlantic Council (October 24, 2024): Moldovan and Georgian elections highlight Russia’s regional ambitions
Elections On Deck
Category: This Week Tags: Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Uzbekistan