NOV. 21 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Gulnara Karimova, eldest daughter of Uzbek President Islam Karimov, closed her charity the Forum for Culture and Art of Uzbekistan after financial police in Uzbekistan raided it. The closure is more evidence of a power struggle in Uzbekistan.
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(News report from Issue No. 162, published on Nov. 27 2013)
NOV. 16 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Emomali Rakhmon was sworn in as Tajikistan’s president for the fourth time after winning an election on Nov. 6 with 83% of the vote. He will serve for another seven years as president. Observers said the election was unfair and undemocratic.
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(News report from Issue No. 161, published on Nov. 20 2013)
NOV. 20 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has made clear he wants to transform, relatively, Kazakhstan’s economy.
He wants to sell stakes in the three banks that the state had to bail out in the 2008/9 global financial crisis, unify and nationalise Kazakhstan’s pension schemes and launch a handful of companies onto the stock exchange.
There’s a lot to do and that, analysts said, is probably the driving force behind his recent reshuffle.
Last month Mr Nazarbayev installed Kairat Kelimbetov, well-known for his loyalty, as head of the Kazakh Central Bank. Analysts also said the promotion on Nov. 5 of Bakhyt Sultanov from deputy head of the presidential administration to finance minister was driven by a similar motivation.
“The new budget, which carried an increase in taxation, the lifting of the pension age and the possible elimination of the so-called new-born cheque are controversial matters,” said Nygmet Ibadildin an Almaty-based analyst. “The promotion (of Sultanov) shows that the president is fully in control.”
Eldar Madumarov, an economics professor in Almaty, agreed. He also said that Bolat Zhamishev’s move from finance minister to regional development minister should be considered a promotion and not a demotion.
“Zhamishev is deemed to be responsible and was moved to be regional development minister,” he said.
Since clashes between protesters and police in 2011 killed 15 people in western Kazakhstan, the Kazakh government has prioritised improving life in the regions.
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(News report from Issue No. 161, published on Nov. 20 2013)
NOV. 20 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Mikheil Saakashvili, 45, the now ex-president of Georgia, is not leaving on a high. His party’s candidate for president was trounced at the polls in October and he may face trial for alleged crimes committed during his time in office.
Nevertheless, his tenure saw Georgia go from failed state to top reformer. Georgia’s leaders now have to earn their mandate through elections rather than by revolution.
Mr Saakashvili spearheaded an ambitious programme of reforms firing the entire corrupt traffic police force overnight, slashing red tape and improving services. The World Bank now ranks Georgia 9th in the world for ease of doing business. Stiff penalties and better salaries eliminated petty corruption and the country’s crumbling infrastructure was improved.
But he was always a moderniser before a democrat and these gains were often made using strong-arm tactics. Georgia’s courts were at the mercy of the prosecutor’s office, the prison population mushroomed and torture and rape were widespread throughout the penal system. He mishandled relations with Russia, leading to a brief but disastrous war in 2008.
Most Georgians are glad to see him go and Mr Saakashvili has said he will stay out of politics. For now.
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(News report from Issue No. 161, published on Nov. 20 2013)
NOV. 17 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Giorgi Margvelashvili took the oath to become the new president of Georgia, ending a decade dominated by Mikheil Saakashvili, leader of the 2003 Rose Revolution. Mr Margvelashvili is an ally of billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, Mr Saakashvili’s biggest rival. Mr Margvelashvili has pledged to improve relations with Russia.
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(News report from Issue No. 161, published on Nov. 20 2013)
NOV. 8 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Around 100 protesters blocked a road in Samarkand, Uzbekistan’s second city, to protest against shortages of electricity and gas to their homes, media reported. Public protests are extremely rare in Uzbekistan, one of the most repressive countries in the world.
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(News report from Issue No. 160, published on Nov. 13 2013)
NOV. 7 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — The Uzbek Prosecutor-General’s office said it was investigating the alleged kidnapping last year of an employee of Gulnara Karimova, eldest daughter of Uzbekistan’s President Islam Karimov. Observers said the case may be designed to heap more pressure on Ms Karimova who is embroiled in a battle to keep assets and influence.
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(News report from Issue No. 160, published on Nov. 13 2013)
NOV. 7 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Incumbent Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon won re-election with 83.1% of the vote in a presidential election. Mr Rakhmon didn’t face any genuine opposition in the election which observers have described as a sham. Mr Rakhmon, who consolidated his power in the mid-1990s after a civil war, will now rule until 2020.
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(News report from Issue No. 160, published on Nov. 13 2013)
NOV. 7 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Fuel shortages and a power struggle in Uzbekistan appear to have claimed another major scalp in Shavkat Majidov, the long-serving first deputy chief of Uzbekneftegaz. Although no official information has been made available, media reported Uzbek President Islam Karimov sacked Mr Majidov over continued fuel supply problems.
Mr Majidov was a powerful man, in charge of oil-related affairs in Uzbekistan and closely linked with Gulnara Karimova, Mr Karimov’s elder daughter.
Ms Karimova had once been considered a potential presidential successor but more recently she has come under pressure from rivals. Prosecutors in Europe and Uzbekistan have opened investigations into her business affairs; her supporters are being targeted.
Mr Majidov’s removal, according to a media report, is linked to an investigation into shortages at the Ferghana Oil Refinery. Ms Karimova’s ally Akbarali Abdullayev had controlled the refinery until police arrested him in October. This arrest, it appears, left Mr Majidov vulnerable. It has also allowed outsiders another glimpse of the interwoven world of politics and business in Uzbekistan.
Sultan Alisher, a member of parliament loyal to Mr Karimov, and director of the Shurtangaz chemical plant, has taken over as deputy head of Uzbekneftegaz. He’s a safe pair of hands that Mr Karimov can rely on as the power game in Uzbekistan unfolds.
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(News report from Issue No. 160, published on Nov. 13 2013)
NOV. 6 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev promoted the deputy chief of the presidential staff, Bakhyt Sultanov, to finance minister as part of a cabinet reshuffle. Mr Sultanov, 42, replaces Bolat Zhamishev who moves on to become regional development minister, considered an important role in Kazakhstan.
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(News report from Issue No. 160, published on Nov. 13 2013)