Uzbek authorities say Sunday's parliamentary elections were a successful exercise in democracy -- even though no opposition parties could take part.
A VOA correspondent in Tashkent reports many Uzbeks were not enthusiastic about the elections because of the one-sided nature of the poll.
The government says the opposition failed to comply with registration procedures. Opposition leaders say they were shut out for criticizing the president's policies.
More than 500 candidates for 120 seats in the country's lower house of parliament. All represent political parties which support powerful President Islam Karimov.
The turnout required to validate the results was recently lowered to 33 percent from 50. The national election commission says the turnout was more than 33 percent.