Uzbekistan’s Transformation: Strategies and Perspectives

91 In this publication I use the Anglicised plural of hokim 
rather than the linguistically correct hokimlar. 
92 “Chokimiyaty i vlast’: chto dumayut uzbekistancy o 
svoich chokimach” [The power of the hokimat: What Uzbeks 
think about their hokims], Kun, 21 May 2019, https://kun.uz/ 
ru/news/2019/05/21/xokimiyaty-i-vlast-chto-dumayut-uzbeki 
stansy-o-svoix-xokimax; “Genprokuratura Uzbekistana oza-
botilas’ sluzhebnoy etikoy chinovnikov” [Prosecutor General 
concerned about civil service ethics], Fergana, 16 August 2019, 
https://fergana.agency/news/109955/ (both accessed 11 July 
2020). 
93 “Uzbek Leader Disparages Governors over House Demo-
litions”, BBC Monitoring Central Asia, 5 August 2019; “Mirzi-
yoyev poruchil chinovnikam kardinal’no peresmotret’ metody 
svoey raboty” [Mirziyoyev tells civil servants to change their 
working methods], Kun, 14 August 2019, https://kun.uz/ru/ 
news/2019/08/14/mirziyoyev-poruchil-chinovnikam-kardi 
nalno-peresmotret-metody-svoyey-raboty (accessed 11 July 
2020). 
94 Under the amended Law on Local Governments of 1993 
(https://www.lex.uz/acts/112168, accessed 11 July 2020) the 

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Domestic Political Anchoring 
SWP Berlin 
Uzbekistan’s Transformation 
September 2020 
20 
power structures and are in a position to severely dis-
rupt implementation of reforms. So for those reasons, 
and for lack of alternatives, Mirziyoyev is sticking 
with them. In fact their responsibilities are to be ex-
panded, giving them the task of implementing eco-
nomic reform measures on the ground themselves 
rather than simply following instructions from the 
central authorities. But local parliaments are also to 
be given the power to remove hokims by vote of no 
confidence.
95
The hokims are already legally account-
able to the local parliaments in relation to plans for 
implementing reform projects and progress reports, 
but this is plainly not taken seriously enough on the 
ground. The president regularly calls for greater 
transparency, also vis-à-vis the mass media and the 
wider public.
96
Aside from the head of state’s direct pedagogical 
interventions and institutional incentives for reedu-
cating existing cadres, great import is placed on in-
vestment in the education system to create the per-
sonnel required in the longer term to reshape the 
country. The government hopes to tap expertise from 
abroad to bring curricula, teaching materials and 
assessment systems up to international standards, 
and also intends to double the number of study 
grants to increase the proportion of young people 
with university degrees. This applies above all to 
subjects of practical relevance.
97