President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev
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Shavkat MiromonovichMirziyoyev is the current President of the Republic of Uzbekistan. His presidency has been marked by reforms, including the liberalisation of the economy, the improvement of the efficiency and transparency of the government, and the strengthening of human rights guarantees, among other achievements.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev is a native of the Zaamin District of the Jizzakh Region in Uzbekistan. He was born on July 24, 1957, into a family of medical professionals and later pursued his education at the Tashkent Institute of Engineers of Irrigation and Mechanization of Agriculture. There, he earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees in mechanical engineering, followed by a PhD in Technical Sciences. Mirziyoyev’s early career began in academia, where he worked as an Associate Professor and Research Scientist.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev made the transition to politics in the 1990’ amidst the disintegration of the Soviet Union. He was elected as a member of the Parliament of Uzbekistan (OliyMajilis) in 1990, marking the beginning of his lifelong career in public service. Subsequently, he was appointed governor (khokim) of the Mirzo Ulugbek district in Tashkent in 1992 and later served as the governor of the Samarkand region and his region of birth, Jizzakh.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev demonstrated commitment to enhancing economic well-being particularly through infrastructure development and industrial growth. He gradually built a reputation as a leader dedicated to reform, which he later set out to achieve as President of Uzbekistan.
In 2003, President Islam Karimov presented Shavkat Mirziyoyev as the preferred candidate for Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, a role which Mirziyoyev held from 2003 until 2016 when he became Acting President and later, President of Uzbekistan. All in all, Shavkat Mirziyoyev was approved as Prime Minister by the Parliament of Uzbekistan three times, in 2005, 2010, and 2015.
During his over a decade-long term as Prime Minister, Shavkat Mirziyoyev put forward policies that improved the standard of living in the rural areas of Uzbekistan and that modernised and diversified the agriculture sector. He also targeted structural inefficiencies in the economy, setting the foundations for his later work as President.
In 2016, Shavkat Mirziyoyev became the interim President of Uzbekistan and was subsequently nominated as a presidential candidate by the Movement of Entrepreneurs and Businessmen — Liberal- Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (UzLiDeP). On December 4, 2016, Mirziyoyevreceived 88.61% of the vote and officially became the President of Uzbekistan. The Uzbek President was reelected in 2021 with 80.31% of the voteand again in 2023 with 87.1% of the vote.
The strong support for the Uzbekistan leader indicates that Uzbekistan is undergoing a positive transformation. As President of the country, Shavkat Mirziyoyev has initiated significant changes that have had a far-reaching impact. Notably, he has made the environment in Uzbekistan more conducive to foreign investment through the elimination of trade barriers and currency liberalization.
As President of Uzbekistan, he has also improved relations with neighboring countries, enhancing regional stability and fostering cooperation. Furthermore, he has championed greater transparency, more efficient governance and increased press freedom. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has become the first leader in Uzbekistan to address human rights issues to the extent that he has, prohibiting forced labor and child labor in the cotton industry.
In 2022, President Mirziyoyev unveiled a comprehensive New Uzbekistan Development Strategy for 2022-2026, targeting a wide range of objectives. These include securing the social focus of state policies, upholding the rule of law and justice, enhancing economic competitiveness, and attracting foreign investment. After his reelection in 2023, Mirziyoyev introduced the new 'Uzbekistan 2030' strategy, which aims to double the size of the economy. The strategy focuses on ambitious reforms designed to improve the quality of life and enhance Uzbekistan's attractiveness to investors and tourists.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s leadership has brought about unprecedented change in Uzbekistan. In 2019, The Economist named Uzbekistan "Country of the Year" following transformative reforms.His reforms have diversified the Uzbek economy, improved the country’s human rights records, and have garnered global recognition, leading to accolades such as the highest award of the CIS and the highest order of the Organization of Turkic Statesin 2023. Shavkat Mirziyoyev has also received prestigious awards like the orders MekhnatShukhrati (Glory of Labor) and FidokoronaKhizmatlari Uchun (For Selfless Service) for his accomplishments in public service.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's multifaceted reforms, sustainable economic growth, and commitment to social progress continue to shape discussions about Uzbekistan's future and its ongoing development trajectory.
