Ambiguity and uncertainty continue to cloud the current state of affairs in Uzbekistan , whose long-serving leader has been incapacitated since having a stroke on Aug 27. Unconfirmed reports suggested that Karimov died on Aug. 29, though his daughter, Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva, said Aug. 31 that the president was still alive and in stable condition. On the same day, an unnamed source told the Russian Regnum News Agency that Karimov had gotten up from his bed for a short time. While the status of the 78-year-old Karimov remains unclear, it seems likely that the serious nature of his illness and his age will prevent him from resuming his presidential duties any time soon, if ever. So speculation over a succession — which would be unprecedented, since Karimov has served as Uzbekistan's only president since it gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 — has been rife.