Moving Upward

Saida Mirziyoyeva. Photo: Telegram channel of Saida Mirziyoyeva

President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev has implemented further changes within his administration, resulting in key personnel shifts. The most significant adjustment was the reinstatement of the position of Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration (PA), which had been abolished in August 2023. The post has now been assigned to his eldest daughter, Saida Mirziyoyeva, who previously served as one of his advisers. Details on the latest reshuffling within the president’s inner circle were reported by Fergana.

Climbing the Career Ladder

On the evening of June 23, the president’s press secretary, Sherzod Asadov, published several posts on his Telegram channel outlining reforms to the PA and the corresponding appointments.

The key announcement stated:

“By decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, changes have been made to the structure of the Presidential Administration. The position of Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration has been introduced.

By presidential decree, Saida Shavkatovna Mirziyoyeva has been appointed Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Uzbekistan.”

ℹ️ Saida Mirziyoyeva is the eldest daughter of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. She was born on November 4, 1984. A graduate of the University of World Economy and Diplomacy, she also holds a master’s degree from Tashkent State University of Law and Moscow State University, and a Ph.D. in economics.

Saida Mirziyoyeva’s public and political career began in 2019. Her first major public-facing position was as Deputy Director of the Agency for Information and Mass Communications (AIMC) under the President of Uzbekistan. At the time, the agency was headed by Komil Allamjonov, a former presidential press secretary (more on him below).

In 2020, the leadership duo left the AIMC and took the helm of the newly established Public Fund for the Support and Development of National Mass Media. Once again, Mirziyoyeva became Allamjonov’s deputy — this time as a member of the fund’s board of trustees. Their tenure there was brief: by November 2022, Mirziyoyeva had been appointed head of the communications and information policy sector within the Executive Office of the Presidential Administration.

Mirziyoyeva climbed another rung on the career ladder in August 2023, aided by an administrative reform. The position of Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration was abolished, and its last holder, Sardor Umurzakov, was reassigned as an adviser to the president on special matters. A week after the relevant decree was published, a new wave of appointments was announced. Mirziyoyeva was named Presidential Assistant — effectively the head of the Administration. Aziz Magrupov was appointed to the same rank.

It is worth adding that as part of the reshuffle that took place on June 23, 2025, Aziz Magrupov was dismissed from his post as assistant to the president and appointed presidential adviser on foreign investment. Bekzot Mavlonov, who had previously served as the president’s adviser on legal expertise and comprehensive analysis, has been named the new assistant to the head of state.

All of these officials—along with the broader pool of advisers and department heads within the Presidential Administration—will now report directly to Saida Mirziyoyeva. Without a doubt, this marks another upward step in her political career.

Mirziyoyeva is known for her careful attention to her public image, skillfully crafting a PR strategy and maintaining a strong media presence. One notable example is the documentary series Mission, which presents various aspects of the president’s eldest daughter’s life. The project offers a behind-the-scenes look at her work as a public official—meetings, negotiations, official delegations, preparation for and participation in events. It also includes footage rarely seen by the public, such as time spent with her children. Arguably a first-of-its-kind production in Uzbekistan, the series positions Saida Mirziyoyeva as the most open and transparent political figure in the country.

She also enjoys excellent relations with bloggers. It’s hard not to notice that authors of popular channels in the Uzbek segment of the internet regularly post news about the president’s daughter. And not just bloggers—well before her recent appointment, Mirziyoyeva had already been entrusted with important missions, including negotiations with representatives of leadership in strategic partner countries, assignments that were effectively publicized in the media. For instance, in a recent statement about the importance of working with young people arriving from Uzbekistan to Russia, President Vladimir Putin emphasized that on the Uzbek side, this issue is overseen by Saida Mirziyoyeva.

The Boomerang Official

It’s also hard to miss that throughout her career, Saida Mirziyoyeva has been accompanied by Komil Allamjonov, who was her superior in several institutions. He has left and returned to public service multiple times.

ℹ️ Komil Allamjonov was born on September 18, 1984, in Tashkent. He graduated from the State Institute of Arts and Culture of Uzbekistan and the Tashkent State University of Economics. He worked in the press service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, headed the press office of the State Tax Committee, and served as the spokesperson for the chair of the Tax Committee. He is known as the founder of the innovative driving school Avtotest, the author of several books, and a recipient of Uzbekistan’s top journalism award, the “Oltin Qalam” (“Golden Pen”).

When it comes to his political career, it’s worth noting that from December 2017 to October 2018, Allamjonov served as press secretary to the president of Uzbekistan. He later headed the Republican Agency for Press and Information, which was eventually restructured into the Agency for Information and Mass Communications. As previously mentioned, it was from there that he and Saida Mirziyoyeva transitioned to the Public Foundation for the Support and Development of National Mass Media.

Allamjonov returned to the Presidential Administration in the summer of 2022, taking the post of Deputy Chief of Staff. His responsibilities included overseeing public opinion research and information policy.

After the restructuring of the Administration, which resulted in Mirziyoyeva’s appointment as presidential aide, her former boss retained his position within the institution. He was officially confirmed as head of the Department of Information Policy.

However, he remained in that position for just over a year. In September 2024, President Mirziyoyev dismissed him “in connection with a transfer to another position.” At the time, Allamjonov stated that he intended to focus more on projects related to private business.

In October 2024, an assassination attempt was made on the former presidential press secretary. Two unidentified individuals fired at his SUV and fled the scene. Fortunately, no one was injured. The investigation moved swiftly, and suspects were soon apprehended—one of them in South Korea, from where he was deported to Uzbekistan. In total, ten people stood trial. All were sentenced to prison terms, with the three principal defendants each receiving 23 years in a penal colony.

Returning to Allamjonov’s career — he appears to have once again entered the president’s inner circle. In the official photo illustrating Saida Mirziyoyeva’s appointment as head of the Presidential Administration, Allamjonov can be seen seated to her left. No formal announcement has been made regarding his role. However, Uzbek media familiar with the matter report that Allamjonov is now an “independent advisor to the head of the Presidential Administration.” In this voluntary capacity, he is expected to advise Mirziyoyeva on areas such as the development of an innovative economy, investment attraction, freedom of speech, and support for independent media.

And the Rest, and the Rest...

To round out the topic of staffing changes in the president’s inner circle, a few additional dismissals should be noted — announced on June 23 by Sherzod Asadov.

Removed from their posts were Saidlaziz Saidkarimov, head of the Presidential Administration’s Control Inspection; Utkirjon Kodirov, head of the Department for Regional Cooperation and Analytical Materials; and Jakhongir Ibragimov, head of the Department for Planning and Information Support.

All of the above officials were dismissed “in connection with a transfer to another position.” That formulation can mean almost anything.

Only the case of the former head of the Control Inspection seems clear-cut. On June 16, President Mirziyoyev harshly criticized the agency’s work — blasting its staff for inaction in handling public complaints. He said that no one was addressing citizens’ problems or holding offenders accountable. As a result, the president announced the dissolution of the Control Inspection and the transfer of its powers to the Accounts Chamber. In this instance, at least, the logic is evident: no agency, no director.

It’s entirely possible that Saidkarimov and the other dismissed officials will reappear in other government roles — perhaps as regional administrators or ministry staffers. That tends to happen.