Announcement of the 11th Election of the Uyghur American Association
Dear East Turkistani brothers and sisters across the United States,
The 11th General Election of the Uyghur American Association (UAA) will take place on Saturday, May 31, 2025, at 1:00 PM.
As the term of the current UAA Board, elected in 2022, concludes this May, a meeting was held on April 20, 2025, at the Uyghur Center, during which five members were elected to form the Election Committee. The committee has since carefully reviewed the UAA bylaws.
In accordance with the bylaws, we are issuing this announcement to ensure the election is held in a timely, transparent, and democratic manner, and to allow adequate time for those wishing to nominate themselves for president and board membership.
During the election, the current board will present a summary of their activities, after which new board members will be elected.
Nomination Guidelines:
The nomination process will follow the same procedures as in previous elections. Uyghur Americans who meet the qualifications outlined in the UAA bylaws are eligible to nominate themselves for the position of President. Each presidential candidate must submit their nomination along with the names of 5 to 7 board members who will serve alongside them.
Brief biographies for all candidates must be submitted to the Election Committee no later than 11:59 PM on Friday, May 23, 2025. Late submissions will not be accepted.
The Election Committee will review all nominations and determine their eligibility based on UAA bylaws.
On election day, each eligible voter will cast one vote for the presidential candidate of their choice.
If only one candidate group is nominated, that group must receive more than 50% of the vote for the election to be valid. If this threshold is not met, the Election Committee will reschedule the election.
Eligibility Criteria (per UAA Bylaw)
1. The President of UAA shall always be a Uyghur.
2. The President of UAA must be a trusted member of the Uyghur community in the U.S.
3. The President of UAA must have lived at least five years in the U.S. prior to his/her election.
4. All directors of UAA must be fluent in both Uyghur and English.
5. All directors of UAA must have at least a bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional training.
6. All directors must have a proven track record of peacefully campaigning for the human rights of the Uyghur people in East Turkistan. They must have upheld the interest of the Uyghur Nation and the freedom of the Uyghur people above all their personal and other interests.
7. No person who has direct or indirect contacts, communications, or relations with the agents, officials, and representatives of the People’s Republic of China shall be elected as a Board of Director.
8. No person who has visited China including East Turkistan for any reason other than mourning the death of parents or relatives, or for official business functions shall be elected as a Board of Director.
9. No person who has encouraged, aided, sought or actively involved in the division or destruction of UAA or any other Uyghur organizations around the world shall be elected as a Board of Director.
10. No person who has encouraged, aided, sought or actively involved in the defamation of UAA officers and officers of other Uyghur organizations around the world shall be elected as a Board of Director.
11. Exceptions shall be made to the aforementioned rules in extraordinary circumstances when prominent Uyghur poli&cal leaders or advocates with a long and credible track record of campaigning for the human rights, religious freedom and democracy of the Uyghur people desire to join UAA and run for UAA elec&on.
Submission Instructions:
Those interested in running for president should submit their own biography along with those of their proposed board members to the following email address:
Further updates regarding the election process will be shared by the Election Committee as needed.
Respectfully,
Uyghur American Association Election Committee
April 23, 2025
