Shadow movement

Although Turkmenistans eccentric and autocratic president-for-life,Saparmurat Niyazov,was short in physical stature...

Although Turkmenistans eccentric and autocratic president-for-life,Saparmurat Niyazov,was short in physical stature,he has continued to cast a long shadow since his death two years ago. Only very gradually has his successor,Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov,begun to make moves to release the country from its self-imposed,Soviet-style isolation.

A new constitution was adopted in September which increased parliaments powers and raised the number of seats from 65 to 125. This was followed by a parliamentary election on December 14th. Both were hailed as steps towards democracy. But all 288 candidates stressed their support of the president: they were either members of the ruling Democratic Party of Turkmenistan,launched by Niyazov,or were state-approved independents. The opposition is largely in exile. Voter turnout reportedly reached 94,though little information was made available about the candidates or what they stood for.

The quickest and easiest way for Mr Berdymukhammedov to put a stamp on his own rule has been to start dismantling his predecessors bizarre personality cult. The huge rotating gold statue of Niyazov may continue to tower over Ashgabat,the capital,but the months of the year were returned to their original names last spring. Niyazov had renamed them in 2002: April was called Gurbansoltan,in honour of his mother,and September was Ruhnama,the title of his spiritual book,which was mandatory reading in school.

During his two years in office,the new president has authorised the opening of internet cafés and lifted the ban on the opera and the circus. He has increased the number of years children attend school and restored pensions withdrawn under Niyazov to more than 100,000 people. On December 15th,parliament decided to revise the national anthem by removing all references to the late president. Though Human Rights Watch still calls Turkmenistan one of the most repressive and authoritarian states in the world,there have been some real improvements,of a kind.

There has also been movement in foreign affairs,though the changes may not be as substantial as they seem at first glance. Niyazov insulated himself from the outside world but Mr Berdymukhammedov has visited a number of countries,including China,Russia and the United States,all of which were eager to welcome him,given the size of Turkmenistans gas reserves. He has also sought to improve relations with Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan,which were tense under his predecessor.

Europeans were drawn even more to the possibilities of Turkmenistan as a business partner after the Turkmen government hired a British firm,Gaffney,Cline amp; Associates,to survey some of the countrys gasfields that had never been analysed by Western experts before. The company announced in October that the South Yolotan-

Osman field in south-eastern Turkmenistan is roughly the fourth- or fifth-largest field in the world.

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Mr Berdymukhammedov has signalled interest in the idea of supplying gas to various destinations,including Europe,but has made no major new commitments. Nor has the country yet given foreign investors with their expertise and their money access to its natural resources. For now,everybody still waits for the president to break into his full stride.

The Economist Newspaper Limited 2008