Uzkbek president appoints his daughter special adviser

TASHKENT: Uzbek leader Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Friday appointed his daughter to the new post of presidential adviser, following his re-election to a third term in a vote observers said lacked competition.

The announcement follows the restructuring of the presidential administration, less than two months after the contested election, in which Mirziyoyev was credited with winning 87 percent of the vote.

“Saida Mirziyoyeva is named, by presidential decree, advisor to the president of the republic of Uzbekistan,” the head of state´s press secretary said.

Saida Mirzioyeva, who was born in 1984 and speaks fluent English, Russian and Uzbek, was previously head of communications in her father´s office.

Her promotion echoes that of Gulnara Karimova, daughter of the former president Islam Karimov, who ruled until his death in 2016. She too was promoted and was at one time even tipped to succeed her father as ruler of the former Soviet republic in Central Asia. But she subsequently fell from grace and in 2020 was convicted and jailed for corruption.