Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said on April 26 he is set to relocate “70 percent of ministers” to his country’s provinces to force them to experience the hardship endured by ordinary Uzbeks firsthand. “There will be a presidential decree soon,” he added.

While Mirziyoyev may be serious about the relocation plan, the statement can also be interpreted as both a populist demonstration of concern for Uzbek citizens and a way of forcing ministers to take action in relation to the quality of life that prevails in the provinces. Mirziyoyev’s approach to poverty in the Central Asian nation has so far contrasted with that of his late predecessor Islam Karimov, who showed a lack of recognition in public for the difficulties of the country.

Karimov, prior to his death in late 2016, often publicly criticised Uzbek migrant workers, pretending that there was enough work for everyone in the ex-Soviet state. Mirziyoyev, with his ongoing commitment to opening up the country to foreign investment, has reversed such Karimov-era policy standpoints. He has set up agencies to support migrant workers, issued regulations favouring small businesses and publicly criticised officials for losing touch with reality. His harshness towards ministers comes in spite of the unquestionable loyalty he showed to Karimov during the previous administration’s reign.

“Seventy percent of ministers and other high-ranking managers, who are based in Tashkent, will now live in the provinces. I am not going to allow any of them to stay in Tashkent,” Mirziyoyev said at a government meeting.

“We see on television how people live in the provinces: without running water, gas, modern sewage systems, and electricity,” he said. “Out of the country’s population of 32 million, 2.5 million live in the capital, Tashkent, and the rest of the people live in the provinces.”

The president also singled out Tashkent’s 11 district chiefs, threatening to fire them unless they take measures to improve people’s lives and giving them six-month deadlines to come forward with new initiatives.

“If the district chiefs of Tashkent are not able to attract a million dollars in foreign investment, I don’t need that kind of district head. I will fire them all.” he warned. “We’ll wait six months and if there aren’t improvements during this period, we will close down the offices of the district governments. There would only be the mayor of Tashkent and 11 assistants [helping to manage each district].”

On the same day, Mirziyoyev replaced the mayor of Tashkent, Rahmonbek Usmonov, who had held the post for six years, with wealthy businessman Jahongir Ortiqkhojaev.