New Uzbek leader to share power due to clan rivalries
ALMATY- The man poised to become Uzbekistan's next president will have to share power with two other senior officials because rival clans have been unable to agree on an outright leader, sources familiar with the behind-the-scenes manoeuvring told Reuters.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev, 59, became interim president last month after the death of Islam Karimov, who had ruled the Central Asian state with an iron hand for 27 years. Mirziyoyev, who had served as Karimov's prime minister since 2003, is strong favourite to win a Dec. 4 presidential election.
However, the power-sharing arrangements which are now coming to light indicate that the succession has not been definitively settled, potentially spelling instability for the resource-rich nation that borders Afghanistan and serves as a bulwark against Islamist militants.
Two diplomatic sources and an Uzbek businessman, who all spoke on condition of anonymity, said rival clans had agreed that Mirziyoyev would be the public face of the Uzbek leadership with the title of president, but that he would in reality not be able to make independent decisions.
