ALMATY, Dhu-AlHijjah 1, 1437, Sep 2, 2016, SPA -- Islam Karimov, president of ex-Soviet Uzbekistan for more than 25 years, has died, officials confirmed on Friday, and in an early sign of who might succeed him, his prime minister was designated mourner-in-chief, at his funeral. Karimov, who was 78 and served as Uzbekistan's president from the moment it became independent from the Soviet Union, had been in hospital after suffering a stroke. He will be buried on Saturday in his home city of Samarkand. " He did not designate a political heir, and analysts say the transition of power is likely to be decided behind closed doors by a small group of senior officials and family members. Diplomatic sources told Reuters earlier on Friday that Karimov was dead, but it took several hours before an official announcement was made, in a statement issued by the Uzbek government and parliament. That statement described Karimov as "truly great". It said Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev was appointed head of the commission organising his burial. Mirziyoyev was one of the people named by Central Asia analysts as a possible successor. A 59-year-old former regional governor, he has been prime minister since 2003 and is personally in charge of agriculture, a major sector of the economy. -- SPA 22:56 LOCAL TIME 19:56 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w