Uzbekistan after Islam Karimov: The challenge of succession

Uzbekistan's President Islam Karimov died in late August 2016 after ruling the country in an authoritarian manner for 27 years.

The leader had no clear successor, which prompted concerns that his death could lead to a period of instability in the Central Asia republic.

In this ECFR Commentary feature the authors suggest that it is difficult to predict how the transition will play out due to Uzbekistan’s opaque power sharing configuration. Nonetheless one can identify four potential scenarios.

• Primary Source

BBC News, 03.09.16: Islam Karimov: Uzbekistan holds funeral for president http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-37262972

EU: EEAS: Uzbekistan http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/uzbekistan/index_en.htm

ICG: Briefing, No.82, September 2016: Uzbekistan: In Transition https://www.crisisgroup.org/europe-central-asia/central-asia/uzbekistan/uzbekistan-transition

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