THE leader of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov passed away on Sept 2, 2016. One of the main downsides to such a concentration of authority in one man’s hands means that when his life eventually ends, there is invariably a power vacuum. The late Karimov was no democrat but he did successfully position himself as a regional bulwark against the possible growth of fundamentalist Islamic movements. He moved from the Communist Party to the People’s Democratic Party and then the current ruling Uzbekistan Liberal Democratic Party, yet commanded the support of all major factions. Jamshed Karimov’s actions are far from the only occasions of family friction to have struck the Karimov regime.

Source: The Star September 17, 2016 23:57 UTC