Abdullah Aripov. Photo: Parliament of Uzbekistan press office
On November 20, at a session of the Oliy Majlis (Parliament of Uzbekistan), Abdullah Aripov was re-elected as Prime Minister of the republic, reported the President of Uzbekistan press office.
In nominating Aripov, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev explained that Uzbekistan is entering a new, responsible stage of its development. In the new era, it is impossible to work by yesterday's criteria. The government must organize its activities on a completely new basis, for which it needs a strong leader.
Mirziyoyev considers Aripov to be such a leader. According to the President, he possesses great organizational skills, a deep sense of responsibility, extensive knowledge, and experience working in the executive branch. It is he who will be able to effectively organize the activities of the government and mobilize the heads of ministries and departments to solve important tasks facing the leadership of Uzbekistan.
The candidate for the post of Prime Minister presented an action program for the cabinet of ministers for the near and long-term future, after which he was approved for the position following a secret ballot of deputies.
Abdullah Aripov was born in Tashkent on May 24, 1961. In 1983, he graduated from the Tashkent Electrotechnical Institute of Communications with a degree in telecommunications engineering. From August 2001 to May 2002, he worked as the Director General of the Uzbek Agency for Post and Telecommunications. On May 30, 2002, he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan – Head of the Complex for Communications and Information and Telecommunication Technologies – Director General of the Uzbek Agency for Communications and Informatization (UzACI).
Aripov held the position of Deputy Prime Minister until August 2012, when he was dismissed: the resignation was associated, in particular, with the conflict surrounding «MTS-Uzbekistan.» After Shavkat Mirziyoyev came to power in 2016, Aripov was returned to the government — first as Deputy Prime Minister, then as Prime Minister.
According to the country's Constitution, in connection with the newly elected body of the Oliy Majlis, the government of Uzbekistan resigned on November 19. On the same day, the Speaker of Parliament Tanzila Narbaeva and her deputies — Sadyk Safoev and Amanbay Orynbaev — were re-elected to their posts.
