Uzbek Parliament Votes to Extend President's Term, Abolish Death Penalty

Uzbekistan held a referendum Sunday on constitutional amendments that would allow the president to stay in power until 2040.
The changes include increasing the presidential term from five to seven years and resetting the current president's term count to zero, allowing him to potentially remain in charge for 20 more years.
The amendments would abolish the death penalty and aim to establish Uzbekistan as a "social state" with greater welfare protections for citizens.
For the referendum to be valid, over half of Uzbekistan's 19.7 million voters must participate.
The vote was originally planned for last year but was postponed following deadly unrest in the Karakalpakstan region.