One of these meetings was held in the southern town of Qarshi on 27 November. Islam Karimov, a presidential candidate from the LDPU, met the voters of the Uzbek southern region of Qashqadaryo.

Their number makes over 1.4 million and of them, over 60,000 are young people who are participating in the election for the first time in their independent lives. Another important point is the fact that about 100,000 voters in the region are entrepreneurs.

Norquvvat Yangiboyev, head of regional district electoral commission No 14, opened the meeting. Those who gathered at the meting, including representatives from the public, farmers, businessmen, neighbourhood activists, young people and veterans, were briefed on Islam Karimov’s election programme.

The programme envisages measures to consistently and logically continue in the country the processes of complex changes, including developing a democratic state, ensuring the supremacy of law, protecting the rights and interests of each person, further liberalizing the economy, in particular by providing all-round support to small business and private entrepreneurship, and modernizing the country. As it was stressed, the holding of the presidential election on an alternative basis is vivid evidence of society’s development. A fully-fledged national election system has been formed in the country, and each citizen has the right to freely express his opinion and will.

The candidate also expressed his position on the development of Qashqadaryo region.