It's a democratic process yes but the country is still a constitutional and largely functional monarchy.
Democracy is an indicator of whether the people are represented but it is not the definition.
I think a better indication of whether a government represents its people is whether the government acts according to the people's wishes.
At one end of the spectrum is Switzerland, where the people can choose to directly override any government policy by referendum (or propose an action of their own).
At the other end of the spectrum is a government like North Korea, where the people have zero say.
Somewhere in the middle you see most Western democracies.
> a better indication of whether a government represents its people is whether the government acts according to the people's wishes
How do you measure the latter? That’s the essence of democracy.
There are many democratic systems. Constitutional republics are democratic because the monarch must answer to the public. Dictatorships featuring leaders for life with limited options for sidelining or recalling are not democratic. The latter describes North Korea, China and certain African and central Asian states.
This is democracy. The people voted for a strong executive and to be represented by the monarchy. Nobody gets that vote in Uzbekistan.