ICC NOTE: Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev has been given the new title of interim President after Islam Karimov died of a brain hemorrhage last week. It does not come as much of a surprise due to the Karimov not having a successor in place. He held the presidential office for 27 years enacting a reign of oppression upon the religious minorities of his country. While presidential elections are planned for the coming months, the chance of a candidate calling for some form of real democracy is likely to be slim. Uzbekistan is listed among the top 17 of the worst countries to live in as a Christian. 

9/9/2016 Uzbekistan (The Moscow Times) – 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.

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