Uzbekistan expands Saida Mirziyoeva's powers, fueling succession talk
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Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev signed a law on August 14 expanding the powers of the Presidential Administration, which his daughter Saida Mirziyoeva heads. The law makes the administration chief deputy chair of the Security Council, giving her formal authority over security structures. The move intensifies speculation that Mirziyoev is preparing his 41-year-old daughter as a potential successor.
Key Facts
- The law signed on August 14 makes the head of the Presidential Administration deputy chair of the Security Council, which coordinates security, law enforcement, and military structures.
- Saida Mirziyoeva, 41, has headed the Presidential Administration since August 2023, when she was appointed first assistant to the president.
- President Shavkat Mirziyoev, 69, won a third term in 2023 with 87 percent of the vote and can run again in 2030 under a constitutional overhaul.
- Analyst Alisher Ilhomov said Mirziyoeva was already de facto No. 2 in the country, but the new law creates a legal foundation for her control over security agencies.
The New Law
The law signed by Mirziyoev on August 14 formally expands the powers of the Presidential Administration. Under the law, the head of the administration becomes deputy chair of the Security Council, which is headed by the president and coordinates the country's security, law enforcement, and military structures. Mirziyoeva will also organize and coordinate the activities of the council's members. Alisher Ilhomov, a London-based Central Asia analyst, said control over the security apparatus is one of the main pillars of the president's power.
Political Rise
Mirziyoeva joined the government in April 2019 as deputy head of the Agency for Information and Mass Communications. In November 2022, she was appointed head of the Communications and Information Policy Department in the Presidential Administration. In August 2023, Mirziyoeva was appointed first assistant to the president, effectively becoming the second highest-ranking official in the Presidential Administration. Independent Uzbek journalist Jahongir Muhammad described her rise as "meteoric," saying a "literally unknown person got the second-highest post in Uzbekistan out of the blue."
Succession Speculation
The new powers are the latest step in a rapid political rise that has repeatedly fueled speculation that Mirziyoev could be preparing his daughter for the presidency. Mirziyoev, 69, won a third term in a tightly scripted election in 2023, being awarded 87 percent of the vote. The same year, he engineered a constitutional overhaul that extended the presidential term to seven years and gave him the right to run again in 2030, meaning he could rule until 2037.
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Uzbekistan expands Saida Mirziyoeva's powers, fueling succession talk
