29.01.2023

Akhal-Teke

The president’s authority now looks desperately weakened, which means that if anything should happen to his 65-year-old father, a crisis of legitimacy could ensue.

And just like that, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, the man who stepped down as president of Turkmenistan last year, is back in charge.

It all unfolded on January 21, when the upper and lower chambers of parliament convened for a joint session to agree on yet another overhaul of the constitution.

In summary, the upshot of these choreographed discussions was to scrap the senatorial upper house, known as the Halk Maslahaty, or People’s Council, which only came into being in January 2021. In its place will appear an eponymous but quite different Halk Maslahaty, and the legislature… >> подробнее

04.01.2023

Akhal-Teke

The former president ended 2022 in the spotlight: He got a new city named in his honor, his poem set to music by his grandson on state television, and compliments from Russia.

Turkmenistan’s megalomaniacal former president never disappoints.

As expected, a new city built to serve as the capital of the Ahal province is to bear the name of Arkadag, the honorific title bestowed upon the ex-head of state and current speaker of the Senate, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov.

The naming was rubber-stamped on December 21 by the ersatz parliament for the sake of appearance, but that was mere theater.

Arkadag lies just 30 kilometers southwest of the country’s capital, Ashgabat, and occupies around 24 square kilometers of land. Berdymukhamedov, who… >> подробнее

31.12.2022

Abakhon Sultonnazarov,
Sergey Marinin

The region’s leaders have been careful to stay out of the Russia-Ukraine war, they are clearly unhappy over it.

As Moscow’s grip falters, and Beijing ups its influence, the region is seeing intriguing moves towards collective agreement and integration.

Russia’s aggression in Ukraine has shaken the entire post-Soviet space. Central Asia in particular is suffering consequences including an energy crisis, the influx of thousands of Russians fleeing conscription and Moscow’s attempts to force the region’s states to accept its position on the war.

And, unusually, Central Asia has expressed its objections — albeit timorous — to Russia’s full-scale invasion, slowly but surely distancing… >> подробнее