Uzbekistan approves referendum to extend president's rule.
Uzbekistan's election commission announced that over 90% of voters supported constitutional changes that could allow President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to remain in power until 2040. The amendments will extend presidential terms from five to seven years and allow Mirziyoyev to run for two more terms when his current one ends in 2026. Observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said the referendum was not truly representative. Experts predict that Uzbekistan will try to distance itself from Moscow due to the war in Ukraine.