<span style="color: #222222;">In Uzbekistan, voters are heading to the polling stations today in its first parliamentary election since a new leader ushered in an era of reform after years of isolation and authoritarian rule. The election is the first in the nation of 33 million since Mirziyoyev took power in late 2016 following the death of strongman Islam Karimov, who had run the former Soviet republic as a police state for 27 years. Mirziyoyev has been lauded for doing away with many of Karimov's authoritarian excesses, releasing some political prisoners and opening up tourism and foreign investment.<br />'' <br />'' A new electoral code is in place and the changes require 30 percent of party candidates to be women. The election will see a contest between five political parties. A total of 500 international observers, including 12 from India, will monitor the polls.</span><br />''  <br />