Political expert on the struggle for power and rivalry among members of Uzbekistan's ruling family.

And although, according to him, the country has achieved noticeable success in economic terms in a relatively short period, there are nuances regarding the policy of openness.

“It turns out that Uzbekistan is still quite closed in the media space. Just recently, a news story about an assassination attempt on the former deputy head of the presidential administration of Uzbekistan, Komil Allamjonov, was lobbied into Kazakhstani resources.
In reality, he is not particularly notable, except for overseeing the information block in his country and being close to Saida Mirziyoyeva,” writes Kuraev.

In his view, the news about this event was “thrown” into Kazakhstani media, “and with a significant delay.”

“After that, a series of various events occurred in Uzbekistan; according to certain media reports, mass purges began in the security forces, and Shavkat Mirziyoyev's younger son-in-law, Otabek Umarov, who holds the position of deputy head of the president's security, left the country,” notes the political scientist.

He points out that there are no official confirmations of this; only “Current Time” reports it, citing “Ozodlik.”

“In turn, the resources claim that Otabek Umarov is behind the case. It was at his instigation that certain individuals organized the assassination attempt.
If one were to speculate in this situation, then after the assassination attempt, no one died; it looks more like a staged event,” observes the political scientist.

In his opinion, ultimately, “the actions are aimed at weakening Umarov's position, as the purges began against his supporters.”

“Apparently, the peak of rivalry has grown into something stronger, and the balance has been disrupted.
Considering all the circumstances, the scales are tipped in favor of Saida Mirziyoyeva,” believes Islam Kuraev.

67-year-old Shavkat Mirziyoyev has been the president of Uzbekistan since 2016. He is married and has two daughters — Saida and Shakhnosa, and a son, Alisher (15 years old).

In August 2023, his eldest daughter, Saida Mirziyoyeva, was appointed as the first assistant to the president of Uzbekistan, the highest position in the presidential administration after the head of state. Her husband, Oybek Tursunov, works as the deputy head of the presidential administration of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev's younger daughter, Shakhnosa, has held the position of first deputy director of the National Agency for Social Protection under the President of Uzbekistan since 2023. Her husband, Otabek Umarov, is the deputy head of the president's security service.