Uzbek President Islam Karimov was confirmed dead Sept. 2 following speculation that he had already died from a brain hemorrhage reported Aug. 29. It appears that a funeral will be held in Karimov's hometown, Samarkand, on Sept. 3 and will be attended by the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, among others. Though the status of Karimov's health is now clear, his succession plan is still as unclear as ever . It very well may be that the Uzbek government was withholding confirmation of Karimov's death to solidify the succession plan, increasing the odds that an announcement on the next president will be made as soon as the official mourning period is over. There are three candidates rumored to be in the running to succeed Karimov: Mirziyoyev, Deputy Prime Minister Rustam Azimov and Security Services chief Rustam Inoyatov.