Fighting for a better life: The struggle for votes in Tashkent

With just one day left until the "Open Budget" voting process concludes, the area around the "Beruniy" metro station in Tashkent's Almazar district has become a hub of activity. People from various regions are vying for votes to address the pressing issues in their neighborhoods, with the price of a single vote reaching up to 100,000 soums. Some have even gone as far as repairing their cars to secure votes.

"We came from the Gallaorol district of the Jizzakh region. The roads in our village haven’t been repaired or asphalted since I was born. This is our only chance. The price of one vote is 25-50 thousand soums. For this, the people of our village collected 500 million soums," shared one participant.

Another vote collector from the Chiraqchi district of the Kashkadarya region added, "So far, we have collected 11,000 votes. God willing, we will win."

However, residents of remote villages, who have endured long-standing issues, argue that such problems should be resolved by the state itself.

“These are roads that the state should build. They know how to quickly collect property taxes or fines, for example, if you get caught on a radar. But why don’t they ensure infrastructure is in place on time? After all, we are taxpayers,” one resident remarked.

Criticism was also directed at local officials, with some pointing out that those collecting votes often lack direct engagement with their communities.

“They organize an event, gather the people, and say, ‘Here I am your mayor. What is your problem? I will solve it,’” said a young man from Kashkadarya, expressing frustration over the lack of genuine connection and accountability.