TASHKENT (TCA) — Uzbek news agencies report that Uzbekistan's parliament has appointed Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyaev as the country’s interim president after the death of longtime President Islam Karimov.

Both houses of the Uzbek parliament made the decision at a joint session on September 8.



According to Uzbekistan’s Constitution, the head of the upper house of parliament, the Senate, would assume presidential authority for a period of three months if the president dies or is unable to perform duties. But the Senate Chairman, Nigmatulla Yuldashev, had refused to accept interim presidency. 



The presidential election would be held during the nearest three months. 



Shavkat Mirziyaev, 59, graduated from the Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Mechanization of Agriculture. He served as head of administration of the Mirzo-Ulugbek district of Tashkent. 



Mirziyaev has been Uzbekistan’s prime minister since 2003, making him the longest serving prime minister in Uzbekistan's 25-year history as an independent country. Prior to that post, he was the governor of the Samarkand Province (2001-2003) and the Jizzakh Province (1996-2001).



Islam Karimov, who had ruled Uzbekistan with an iron fist since 1989, died from a stroke at the age of 78. He was buried in his home city of Samarkand on September 3, a day after the Uzbek government officially announced his death. </s> TASHKENT (TCA) — Uzbekistan’s President Islam Karimov, who ruled the country for a quarter-century, has died at the age of 78.

Uzbekistan’s state television announced late on September 2 that Karimov died at 8:55 p.m. local time in Tashkent. 



Early on September 2, the Cabinet of Ministers said that during the past 24 hours, Karimov’s health condition had sharply worsened and medics assessed it as “critical”. 



The state TV has announced the death of President Karimov following days of unconfirmed reports suggesting that he had already died. 



The TV presenter read a statement from the Uzbek Cabinet and Parliament, which hailed Karimov as "a great historic figure." 



The anchor said Karimov had died of a stroke, and that his funeral will be held on September 3 in the late President's home city of Samarkand.



Uzbek Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyaev was appointed head of a commission organizing Karimov's funeral.



Karimov, the former communist boss, ruled Uzbekistan for 27 years at the center of a tight inner circle and ruthlessly applied the country's security and intelligence forces to keep a firm lid on dissent. His regime was accused of routinely torturing detainees and jailing political opponents, RFE/RL reports.



Karimov has no apparent successor, and speculation has raged for days that a secretive effort was under way to replace him. 



The Uzbek Constitution states that if the president dies or is unable to perform his duties the head of the upper chamber of parliament assumes presidential authority for a period of three months. That is Senate Chairman Nigmatulla Yuldashev, who has led the upper house since January 2015.



Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences to Yuldashev, saying Karimov's death was a "heavy loss for Uzbekistan."



"I grieve for the loss of a friend whom I worked with side-by-side for 30 years," Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev was quoted as saying.



Preparations also appeared to be under way for Karimov’s funeral in Samarkand.



Security sources told RFE/RL's Uzbek Service that Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyaev, who has been touted by outsiders as a possible successor, had made a trip to Samarkand. In Karimov's absence, Mirziyaev led a commemorative event in Tashkent on August 31 that marked the start of Independence Day celebrations.



Tajik President Emomali Rahmon confirmed he will attend the funeral while Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani were reported to be also planning to go.



The Russian delegation at the funeral will be headed by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, his spokeswoman Natalia Timakova was quoted as saying.



Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Belarus said they were also sending delegations headed by their prime ministers. </s> Uzbek Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev has been named as acting president of Uzbekistan following the death of its long-serving leader, Islam Karimov.

Mirziyoyev, who has served as prime minister since 2003, was confirmed as acting president at a joint session of the Uzbek parliament Thursday.

Karimov, the country’s authoritarian ruler of 27 years, died of a brain hemorrhage last week at the age of 78. He was buried in his home town of Samarkand on Saturday, but left no obvious successor.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Samarkand Monday, laying flowers at Karimov’s grave and personally giving his condolences to the former president’s widow and daughter.

Mirziyoyev accompanied Putin during his visit, suggesting to many that he was likely to succeed Karimov.

Presidential elections to determine Karimov’s successor should be held within three months, the RIA Novosti news agency reported, citing a representative of Uzbekistan’s parliament. </s> MOSCOW (AP) — Polls have opened in Uzbekistan’s first presidential election since the death of authoritarian leader Islam Karimov who ruled the country for 27 years.

Acting President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who spent 13 years as Karimov’s prime minister, is expected to easily win a five-year term. Karimov led Uzbekistan since before the Soviet collapse, first as its communist boss and then as president.

Following Karimov’s sudden death in September, Mirziyoyev shifted into the acting president’s job quickly and without any visible tensions, highlighting apparent consensus between regional clans. Mirziyoyev faces three nominal rivals. Two of them challenged Karimov in past elections, each receiving about 3 percent of the vote. </s> Presidential elections in Uzbekistan will take place on Dec. 4, the country's government has confirmed.

Uzbek Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev was named as acting president on Thursday, following the death of the country's long-serving leader Islam Karimov.

Uzbekistan last held presidential elections in March 2015. Karimov faced three other candidates, all of whom were from pro-government parties.

Election monitors for the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE) reported that the elections did not show “genuine competition” and that the “rigidly constrained media did not provide political debate.”

Karimov, the country’s authoritarian ruler of 27 years, died of a brain hemorrhage last week at the age of 78. He was buried in his home town of Samarkand on Saturday, but left no obvious successor.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Samarkand Monday, laying flowers at Karimov’s grave and personally giving his condolences to the former president’s widow and daughter.

Mirziyoyev accompanied Putin during his visit, suggesting to many that he was likely to succeed Karimov. </s> ALMATY, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Uzbekistan's parliament appointed Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev as interim president on Thursday, a source who saw the written decision of the legislature told Reuters.

President Islam Karimov, who had ruled Central Asia's most populous nation for 27 years, died of a stroke last week aged 78.

Mirziyoyev, who was the official mourner-in-chief at Karimov's funeral and met Russian President Vladimir Putin this week, is widely expected to become the president of Uzbekistan, an energy-rich country where Russia, the United States and China are vying for influence.

Under the Uzbek constitution, a presidential election must now be held within three months.

Central Asia pundits say they do not expect any drastic policy changes if Mirziyoyev, a former regional governor, is duly elected president of the mainly Muslim nation of 32 million people that borders Afghanistan.

By appointing Mirziyoyev, 59, as acting head of state, the legislature leapfrogged Senate Chairman Nigmatilla Yuldashev, who under the constitution should have led the country during the transition period as acting president after Karimov's death.

But Yuldashev, a little-known figure, had declined the role saying he lacked experience, the same source said. The appointment of Mirziyoyev, valued by Karimov as a competent manager, is expected to be officially announced in an evening TV news programme - a usual practice in the secretive nation.

Karimov cast his country as a bulwark against militant Islam but drew Western criticism for suppressing political dissent. Human rights groups say there are hundreds of political and religious prisoners in local jails and say torture is practised.

In contrast to the West, Putin said during his visit to Tashkent this week he hoped the new Uzbek leader would continue Karimov's work, putting a stamp on Moscow's claim to be the former Soviet republic's closest ally. (Reporting by Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Gareth Jones) </s> Uzbekistan's parliament has appointed Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev as interim president after the death of Islam Karimov last week, Russian news agency Interfax reported on Thursday.

Mirziyoyev had been tipped as a favourite to succeed the late Karimov, who governed Uzbekistan with an iron fist since first entering power while the country was still part of the Soviet Union. Karimov was re-elected multiple times, though none of the elections he participated in fulfilled international fairness criteria.

According to the Uzbek constitution, in the case of a premature vacating of the position of president, the speaker of parliament's upper house becomes interim president for three months, after which a leader is expected to take charge.

This will now not happen, as the Uzbek prime minister, who met with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this week, will become acting president, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti confirmed.

Mirziyoyev has served as prime minister since 2003. He is 59-years-old, having previously served as a governor of two Uzbek regions, including the historic Samarkand region, where Karimov is buried.

Karimov's death was widely reported almost a week before the government announced he had died after a stroke. The delay in announcing the leader's demise may have been a deliberate ploy to allow officials time to discuss his succession.

Parliamentary head Nigmatulla Yuldashev reportedly volunteered to step aside, in order for Mirziyoyev to lead the country. A date for official elections has not been announced.

Mirziyoyev has been the most visible Uzbek politician in the wake of Karimov's death, leading the funeral procession, responding to world leaders' messages of condolences and receiving the likes of Putin on a condolence visit to Uzbekistan. </s> Islam Karimov, who crushed all opposition in the Central Asian country of Uzbekistan as its only president in a quarter-century of independence from the Soviet Union, has died of a stroke at age 78, the Uzbek government announced Friday.

Karimov will be buried Saturday in the ancient city of Samarkand, his birthplace, the government said in a statement.

His younger daughter, Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva, said in a social media post Monday that he had been hospitalized in the capital of Tashkent after a brain hemorrhage Aug. 27. On Friday, she posted again, saying: “He is gone.”

Little other information was available. Media freedom and human rights have been harshly repressed ever since he became leader in 1989 while it was still a republic of the Soviet Union.

One of the world’s most authoritarian rulers, Karimov cultivated no apparent successor, and his death raised concerns that the predominantly Sunni Muslim country could face prolonged infighting among clans over its leadership, something its Islamic radical movement could exploit.

“The death of Islam Karimov may open a pretty dangerous period of unpredictability and uncertainty in Uzbekistan,” Alexei Pushkov, head of the Russian parliament’s foreign affairs committee, told the Tass news agency.

Given the lack of access to the strategic country, it’s hard to judge how powerful the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan might be. Over the years, the group has been affiliated with the Taliban, al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, and it has sent fighters abroad.

Under the Uzbek constitution, if the president dies his duties pass temporarily to the head of the senate until an election can be held within three months. However, the head of the Uzbek senate is regarded as unlikely to seek permanent power and Karimov’s demise is expected to set off a period of jockeying for political influence.

Karimov was known as a tyrant with an explosive temper and a penchant for cruelty. His troops machine-gunned hundreds of unarmed demonstrators to death during a 2005 uprising, he jailed thousands of political opponents, and his henchmen reportedly boiled some dissidents to death.

He came under widespread international criticism from human rights groups, but because of Uzbekistan’s location as a vital supply route for the war in neighboring Afghanistan, the West sometimes turned a blind eye to his worst abuses.

Noting Karimov’s death, President Barack Obama said in a statement the U.S. “reaffirms its support for the people of Uzbekistan.”

“This week, I congratulated President Karimov and the people of Uzbekistan on their country’s 25 years of independence,” Obama said in the statement. “As Uzbekistan begins a new chapter in its history, the United States remains committed to partnership with Uzbekistan, to its sovereignty, security, and to a future based on the rights of all its citizens.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was “saddened” at Karimov’s death and paid tribute to his efforts “to develop strong ties between Uzbekistan and the United Nations as well as strengthen regional and global peace and security,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Ban singled out Karimov’s promotion of the treaty to establish the Central Asian Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone which entered into force in 2009.

Uzbekistan, a country of 30 million people famous for its apricot orchards, cotton fields and ancient stone cities along the Silk Road, had been one of the Muslim world’s paragons of art and learning.

But Karimov cracked down on any form of Islam that wasn’t patently subservient to him. His leadership style was epitomized by propaganda posters often displayed in Uzbekistan that depicted him alongside Tamerlane, a 14th-century emperor who had conquered a vast region of West, South and Central Asia.

He was known to shout and swear at officials during meetings and it was widely rumored that in bursts of anger he would beat officials and throw ashtrays at them.

Under Karimov, the economy remained centralized, with a handful of officials controlling the most lucrative industries and trade. A 1996 ban on the free convertibility of the national currency, the som, blocked trade and foreign investment, while unemployment soared and poverty was widespread.

Endemic corruption stymied development, despite considerable resources of natural gas and gold, along with its cotton exports. Millions of Uzbeks have flooded into Russia and neighboring Kazakhstan to support their families with remittances that amount to a sizable part of the country’s GDP.

Karimov was suspicious of the West and infuriated by its criticism of his human rights record, but he also dreaded Islamic militancy, fearing it could grow into a strong opposition.

He unleashed a harsh campaign against Muslims starting in 1997 and intensifying in 1999 after eight car bombs exploded near key government buildings in Tashkent. The explosions killed 16 people and wounded more than 100.

“I am ready to rip off the heads of 200 people, to sacrifice their lives, for the sake of peace and tranquility in the country,” Karimov said afterward. “If a child of mine chose such a path, I myself would rip off his head.”

In the next few years, thousands of Muslims who practiced their faith outside government-controlled mosques were rounded up and jailed for alleged links to banned Islamic groups.

In 2004, a series of bombings and attacks on police killed more than 50 people and sparked a new wave of arrests and convictions.

Following 9/11, the West overlooked Karimov’s harsh policies and cut a deal with him in 2001 to use Uzbekistan’s Karshi-Khanabad air base for combat missions in Afghanistan.

During a May 2005 uprising in the eastern city of Andijan, Uzbek troops fired on demonstrators, killing more than 700 people, according to witnesses and human rights groups. It was the world’s worst massacre of protesters since the 1989 bloodbath in China’s Tiananmen Square.

Angered by U.S. criticism of the crackdown, Karimov evicted U.S. forces from the base.

He later quietly softened his position, allowing Uzbekistan to be part of the Northern Distribution Network supply route for Afghanistan, whose utility declined when Russia dropped out of the network in 2015. The United States in turn agreed to start the sale of non-lethal military goods to his regime.

Islam Abduganiyevich Karimov was born on Jan. 30, 1938, and studied economics and engineering in what was then a Soviet republic, rising through the Communist Party bureaucracy.

In 1989, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev made Karimov Uzbekistan’s Communist Party chief in the wake of a huge corruption scandal that involved top Uzbek officials. At the time, Karimov was seen as a hard-working and uncorrupt Communist.

On March 24, 1990, the local parliament elected him president of the Uzbek Socialist Republic, and in December 1991, just days after the Soviet Union ceased to exist, Karimov won the presidency in a popular vote.

Shaken by a series of ethnic and religious riots in the turbulent years surrounding the Soviet collapse, Karimov was obsessed with stability and security. He said Uzbekistan would follow its own path of reform and would build democracy and a market economy without the turmoil and crises of most other former Soviet nations.

After his 1991 election, the fledgling democratic opposition was banned and forced into exile. The media were muzzled by censorship. Law enforcement and security services grew increasingly powerful and abusive, and the use of torture in prisons was labeled “systematic” by international observers.

Karimov’s death would “mark the end of an era in Uzbekistan, but almost certainly not the pattern of grave human rights abuses, said Denis Krivosheev, deputy director for Europe and Central Asia at Amnesty International. “His successor is likely to come from Karimov’s closest circle, where dissenting minds have never been tolerated.”

Karimov was a distant leader. His annual New Year’s address to the nation was always read by a TV anchor. His wife rarely appeared in public, and his vacations were never announced.

But the public was constantly reminded of his leadership by banners with quotes from his speeches posted on buildings and billboards.

All of his election victories were landslides, but none were recognized as free or fair by international observers. His only challenger in 2000, Abdulkhafiz Dzhalolov, said he himself voted for Karimov.

His nephew, opposition journalist Jamshid Karimov, was forcibly committed to a psychiatric institution after a series of articles criticizing his uncle and other officials.

Karimov’s oldest daughter, Gulnara, generated media buzz over her immense wealth, fashion shows and music videos done under the stage name GooGoosha. Sometimes touted as a potential successor, she was both admired and despised at home.

In 2014, she used her Twitter account to accuse Uzbekistan’s security services of orchestrating a campaign of harassment against her and deceiving her father. Her tweets then stopped, prompting speculation that she and her 15-year-old daughter were under house arrest in Tashkent.

Word of Karimov’s death began spreading even before the Uzbek government announced it Friday night, with officials in Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan saying leaders from those countries would attend his funeral and the Turkish prime minister offering condolences. Uzbekistan celebrated its Independence Day on Thursday, which is perhaps why the government had delayed any news about Karimov.

Photos carried Friday by the respected Central Asian news website Fergana.ru showed what appeared to be undertakers in Samarkand working on a plot in the cemetery where Karimov’s family is buried.

The Samarkand airport said it would be closed to all flights except specially approved aircraft Saturday, according to U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s website.

Uzbek opposition blogger Nadezhda Atayeva said Friday that Uzbek authorities appeared to be cracking down on communication channels. Speaking from western France, she said an opposition contact told her via Skype that government officials had been told to turn off their phones and Internet speeds had slowed. As he spoke, she said, the signal went dead. </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Steve Rosenberg assesses the legacy of Islam Karimov

The Uzbek government has confirmed the death of President Islam Karimov, six days after he was taken to hospital with a suspected brain haemorrhage.

One of Asia's most authoritarian leaders, Mr Karimov, 78, died after 27 years in power.

His funeral will be overseen by Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev, seen as a potential successor.

Rights groups say Mr Karimov repressed opposition to his rule but for supporters he represented stability.

He will be buried on Saturday in his home city of Samarkand and three days of mourning will be observed.

A United Nations report has described the use of torture under Mr Karimov as "systematic".

The late leader often justified his strong-arm tactics by highlighting the danger from Islamist militancy in the mainly Muslim country, which borders Afghanistan.

Expressing his condolences in a statement (in Russian), Russian President Vladimir Putin described Mr Karimov as a statesman "who had contributed to the security and stability of Central Asia" and who would be a "great loss for the people of Uzbekistan".

Reading the signs: Analysis by Sarah Rainsford, BBC News, Moscow

Image copyright AP Image caption Police outside the Tashkent hospital where Islam Karimov was being treated

The official announcement of Islam Karimov's death came on Friday night but Turkey's prime minister had sent condolences to Tashkent hours earlier - live on television, suggesting the funeral invitations had already gone out. So why did the Uzbek authorities hold back with their statement?

It is possible they were focussed on practicalities - preparing the burial site and gathering suitably senior world dignitaries for the send-off. Perhaps, too, Uzbekistan's powerful security service was stalling, watching for any hint of unrest or a power grab?

But Islam Karimov ruled for more than a quarter of a century without naming a successor so the delay could well point to a struggle for power behind the scenes. It is hard to know, in such a closed system.

That has left Uzbekistan-watchers trying to read the signs. In Soviet times, whoever led the funeral commission would end up running the country. That may mean Prime Minister Mirziyoyev is the man to watch but for Uzbekistan all this is unprecedented and it is early days.

Image copyright AP Image caption Police could be seen guarding an area in Samarkand on Friday

'Immense pain'

President Putin addressed his message to Uzbek senate leader Nigmatulla Yuldashev who, under the constitution, becomes acting president pending early elections.

Mr Yuldashev is unlikely to fill the presidential role more permanently, analysts say.

Mr Mirziyoyev has been in office since 2003 and his deputy, Rustam Azimov, is also seen as a key player.

News of Mr Karimov's death was finally confirmed after several foreign leaders and diplomatic sources reported it on Friday, following days of rumours that he had already died.

"Dear compatriots, it is with an immense pain in our hearts that we inform you of the death of our dear president," a state TV presenter said.

Image copyright Instagram Image caption Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva's post

One of Mr Karimov's daughters, Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva, posted a black square on Instagram with the words: "He left us... I choose my words and cannot believe it myself..."

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Some say Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev could have the upper hand

Earlier, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim broke news of the death at a televised meeting of his cabinet.

Reports from diplomatic sources suggested several regional leaders were making plans to visit Samarkand for the funeral.

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is expected to represent Russia.

How rumours grew:

Sunday : President Karimov "receiving in-patient treatment", Uzbek cabinet of ministers announces

: President Karimov "receiving in-patient treatment", Uzbek cabinet of ministers announces Monday : Daughter Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva writes on Instagram that he has suffered a brain haemorrhage

: Daughter Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva writes on Instagram that he has suffered a brain haemorrhage Wednesday : Government cancels some celebrations for independence day on Thursday

: Government cancels some celebrations for independence day on Thursday Thursday : Mr Karimov's independence day speech read out on state TV by a presenter

: Mr Karimov's independence day speech read out on state TV by a presenter Friday: Government confirms death

Some human rights groups say the Uzbek government is one of the most repressive in the world, notably after a crackdown in the eastern city of Andijan in 2005, when hundreds were killed.

Mr Karimov's followers argue that curbs on freedom are a small price to pay for law and order.

"Yes of course, it's a price for stability, because we see what is happening now in Syria, in Iraq, in Yemen, in Afghanistan and even in Europe - you cannot defend yourself from the terrorist attacks," Sherzod Igamberdiev, a lawyer in Tashkent, told BBC News.

"If you put all your efforts into stopping terrorism, you will have criticism, but we live here, we know the situation on the inside, we are satisfied with him, we love him."

Republic of Uzbekistan Capital: Tashkent Population 32 million

Area 447,400 sq km (172,700 sq miles)

Major languages Uzbek, Russian, Tajik

Major religion Islam

Life expectancy 68 years (men), 74 years (women)

Currency Uzbek som

Analysts say Mr Karimov has played Russia, China and the West against each other to keep Uzbekistan from total isolation and to receive limited US aid.

Strains in relations with Moscow have appeared intermittently, notably when Tashkent suspended its membership of a Russian-led military alliance, the Collective Security Treaty Organisation. In 2014, Russia wrote off most of Uzbekistan's foreign debt to Moscow, forgiving $865m.
President Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan dies after 27 years in office.