ABSTRACT

What happens to elites when the personalistic leader they supported for so long suddenly dies? This article tackles comparatively transitions out of first presidencies in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, presenting an analytical framework that seeks to explain why these transitions unfolded in relatively smooth fashion. The overall stability defining power transfer processes instigated by the non-violent death of personalistic rulers in both contexts is explained here through the intersection of three key factors: the regimes’ resort to succession practices consolidated in the Soviet era, the emergence of temporary forms of collective decision-making in both transitional contexts, and the implementation of de-personalisation strategies pursuing the obliteration of specific pockets of cadres but stopping short of wider regime re-organisation. The findings of this article contribute to broader debates on the politics of de-personalisation, while putting forward a comprehensive framework to analyse transitions out of personalism in and beyond post-Soviet Eurasia.

摘要

当他们长期支持的个人主义领导者突然去世时，精英们会发生什么？本文处理土库曼斯坦和乌兹别克斯坦首任总统的相对过渡，提出了一个分析框架，试图解释为什么这些过渡以相对平稳的方式展开。在这两种情况下，由个人主义统治者的非暴力死亡引发的决定权力转移过程的总体稳定性在这里通过三个关键因素的交集来解释：政权诉诸于苏联时代巩固的继承实践，临时形式的出现转型背景下的集体决策，以及实施去个性化战略，旨在消灭特定的干部群体，但又没有实现更广泛的政权重组。