[13] Acting President Shavkat Mirziyoyev won the elections with 90% of the vote to which were described by international observers and media as a sham with a "lack of a genuine choice" among the presidential candidates.

[16] Mirziyoyev was eligible under the country's constitution to serve a second term,[16] and was considered likely to be reelected, as according to Farkhod Tolipov, founder of the Uzbek non-governmental research organisation Caravan of Knowledge, there is not "any alternative to him to challenge during the next elections".

[16] In November 2020, a delegation led by Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov visited the United States "looking to strengthen" its strategic relationship with Uzbekistan, described as the "key regional power broker".

[26] This paragraph is often criticised by experts, political scientists, international observers and organizations, as well as human rights defenders, opposition figures and dissidents for systemically limiting access to any participant willing to bid for presidency.

[43][44] In his opinion, the potential reforms in the country have been stopped and its reverse is being "tightened", the problems of poverty and unemployment have not been resolved, the fight against corruption is not yielding results, and Uzbekistan has accumulated over $25 billion in foreign debt, and a growing nepotism revolving around Mirziyoyev's family has appeared.

[49] After increasing political pressure and harassment on Otajonov, he left Tashkent by settling in Istanbul, Turkey, where he lived prior and did business for several years during Islam Karimov's presidency.

From there, he began criticising the former and current leadership of Uzbekistan by drawing attention on the scale of corruption, nepotism and embezzlement within the country, to the depressing standard of living of ordinary citizens.

[51] Otajonov in early April posted join photos on Facebook with the former 1991 presidential nominee, dissident, leader of the Erk Democratic Party and the People's Movement of Uzbekistan Muhammad Salih.

[52] After that, a video message from Otajonov's mother appeared on social media, where she pledged for him to leave his political ambitions behind and not become "a traitor to the Motherland” by cooperating with Salih in which she referred him as "the villain and enemy of the people."

[54] While campaigning, unknown and uninvited individuals showed up at Erk party public meetings and at Otajonov's home, disturbing proceedings and calling for him to quit politics.

[57] On 27 August, Oblomurodov unveiled his election platforms which consisted of paying great attention towards issues in regards to environment and finding solutions as well as improving the "ecological culture" of the population.

[72] From there Mirziyoyev accepted the nomination offer by the party to run for another term, pledging to continue in implementing political reforms and solves issues such as combatting poverty, increasing the GDP and salaries for kindergarten staff, reducing public debt, and allowing for the direct elections of hokims (local heads) in which the party members at the congress praised the already existing current policies which were enacted by Mirziyoyev in his first five years as a president.

[60] On 7 August 2021, the 4th People's Democratic Party Ordinary Plenum was held where the XDP Central Council's deputy chairwoman Maqsuda Vorisova was nominated for presidency, making her the first woman since Diloram Tashmukhamedova in 2007 to bid in a presidential race.

[78][79] Serving as a Legislative Chamber MP, Vorisova proclaimed herself as an "ordinary mother and woman" who has knowledge "about the problems of the people from the inside" and that in case of victory, she would put forward in solving issues regarding education and medicine.

[83] The event was reportedly to have been occurred subsequently at the same time with the opening of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) mission in the country.

[84] On the basis of election platform, Mirziyoyev campaigned for an economy that would work on scientific and innovational function, reduction in poverty by providing an active business and financial support, increasing agriculture efficiency, providing high quality of education, improvements in healthcare, balanced regional development, continuing in implementing democratic, humanist, judicial reforms, tasking national security and active foreign policy, and the development in the spheres of culture and spirituality.

In her programme, she called for stronger social policies for the interests of population, economic sectors, high-quality food and consumer goods, housing and utility accessibility, equal access to high quality public institutions by implementing universal health care and free education that would be provided for all segments of the population, encouragement of a direct civic participation, development of human rights and ensuring social stability, and a more active engagement in foreign affairs by strengthening relations specifically with the Commonwealth of Independent States.

[88] As candidate, Qodirov pledged for a serious of reforms and changes in educational spheres, public administration, economy, social justice and civil liberties, accelerated process for joining the World Trade Organization as well as closer economic and political ties with Central Asian countries, including Afghanistan.

[89] Qodirov began his first campaign trip to Samarqand on 20 September 2021, citing the city as a "cradle of science and traditions" and from there, visited the Hazrat Khizr Mosque and paid tribute to late president Islam Karimov's grave.

[92] During his campaign trail, Qodirov raised eyebrows as he called for income taxes for Uzbek migrants residing outside the country, arguing that it should be done so for the benefit of Uzbekistan's development.

"[94] Abduhalimov's platforms consisted of several varying changes in spheres of state body structures, science and education, income gap, social net, public health, and price controls.

Such these were in proposing a formation of lawmaking and public control over local representative bodies, fighting against crime, independent judicial system, safety net for low-income peoples, reduction cost of living, state funded coverage for two years in preschools and four-year higher education, decent pension, increase for scientific research, merging of all education related ministries into one, prevention of common diseases as well as reduction in mistrust and inflated cost of prescriptions.

He called for a sustainable economic development by furthering the transition towards green economy, implementation of policies aimed at ensuring environmental safety, environmental protection and the use of natural resources for the comfort towards population, tackling climate change and reducing the severity of the Aral Sea as well as improving living condition in the region hit hard by the disaster, improving the effectiveness of state reforms specifically targeted towards environmental protection with use of administrative and judicial resources, furthering the development in terms of healthcare, education, science and culture, and promoting international cooperation to ensure peace and stability within the Central Asia, not ruling out the strengthening ties with Afghanistan.

[28] HTSDP party leader Khidirnazar Allakulov acknowledged the case, accusing it as an attempt by the government to secure Mirziyoyev's post for second term due to growing public anger which forced the authorities to rely on youth intimidation for political gains.

[117] However, in contrast to the government critics, the purpose for the amendments were aimed at increasing control over internet users and the content posted on social media specifically political means.

"[116] On 2 July 2021, the State Inspectorate for Control in the Field of Informatization and Telecommunications (O'zkomnazorat) announced that several sites would be restricted until furthermore notice, due to alleged violations of the law which urged social media companies' servers operating within the country to store users' personal data.

[121] During the restricted period, the work has received mixed reactions from several Uzbek officials with the head (hokim) of Namangan Region Shavkat Abdurazakov during a conference urging young people in which he called them "spoiled" to read books and newspapers instead and communicate with their parents more saying that the social media ban should be in place for a month while Uzbekistan Liberal Democratic Party MP Rasul Kusherbayev criticised the O'zkomnazorat's restrictions as "a very ridiculous and absurd decision in the age of information.

[123] The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) opened its mission on 15 September 2021 in the country headed by former Irish politician Eoghan Murphy to observe the election.

[128][129][130][131][132] The following day on 25 October, the CEC published its preliminary results, confirming Mirziyoyev's win of 80.1% vote share,[133] noted to be lower than in the previous 2016 presidential election in which the Eurasianet described as "part of the authorities’ attempt to paint a picture of blossoming political pluralism" while according to Kristian Lasslett, professor at Ulster University, saw this as "choreographed concession to plurality" that would give foreign supporters more justifications in engaging with the Uzbek government by pointing out "positive changes" in regards to Mirziyoyev's reduced vote share.

[138] From there, Mirziyoyev spoke to the crowd, thanking them for the support and trust given to him, pointing to his achievements done during his first term as president and praising the election being held on the "spirit of democracy, openly and publicly", not ruling out that the nation would continue its changing development path.