UZBEKISTAN-ELECTIONS

An Uzbek woman picks cotton buds at a cotton plantation in the village of Birlik some 20kms from Tashkent, on October 23, 2021. Central Asian Uzbekistan stages a presidential election on October 24, 2021, with leader Shavkat Mirziyoyev facing no real opposition but plenty of challenges as he bids to reform the ex-Soviet country and still maintain its authoritarian foundations. Mirziyoyev has been credited for launching what he calls a "New Uzbekistan", ending a decades-old system of forced labour and introducing limited media freedom. But it's difficult to tell from the sleepy feel of the capital Tashkent, where nobody seems to doubt the outcome of the vote. (Photo by VYACHESLAV OSELEDKO / AFP) (Photo by VYACHESLAV OSELEDKO/AFP via Getty Images)