On Friday, the Uzbekistan government confirmed that President Islam Karimov (the country’s first and only president) has died at the age of 78. Karimov had been in power for at least 25 years, and his passing leaves uncertainty of who will succeed him, although Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev is seen as a candidate.
Karimov suffered a stroke a few days ago and had not been seen in public since the incident. There was speculation about his death after the stroke initially occurred, but his passing was confirmed by not only the country’s government and parliament, but by his daughter, Lola Tillyaeva, as well.
In 2015, Karimov was reelected with a staggering 90 percent of the vote. Yet Al Jazeera notes, “The country has never held an election judged free and fair by international monitors.” A number of government officials were supposedly in line to succeed the president, including Karimov’s daughter, Gulnara, but it is reported that she is under house arrest for criticizing government officials on Twitter. Independent Uzbek analyst Kamoliddin Rabbimov said the country is facing a few issues at this time:
“I think in the corridors of power they have already started fighting. On the one hand the political elite is fighting each other and regrouping but on the other, they understand they need to keep control of the country. They have gained massive wealth under Karimov.”
Karimov leaves behind a controversial legacy, as he reportedly used extreme measures to silence critics. Al Jazeera details a 2005 incident, in which government forces killed hundreds of demonstrators for speaking out against the government.
(Via Al Jazeera & BBC News)