Karakalpakstan has a constitutional right to secede from Uzbekistan via referendum, but calling for such a vote results in immense pressure and often prison terms.
In the wake of the constitutional referendum extending the presidential term from five to seven years, Mirziyoyev called for a new presidential election.
The referendum may be a way of employing old tricks to extend Mirziyoyev’s rule, but a total reversion to the “old ways” could also prove detrimental to his regime.