Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov

Who cares about a president when you have a new “national leader”?

Like father, like son: Serdar Berdimuhamedov made his first significant cabinet shuffle. The process remains as opaque as ever.

Although Islam has been a part of Turkmen culture for centuries, public practice of Islam was largely suppressed during the Soviet Union and in the early independence era, too.

What was the state of the Turkmen economy during Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov’s presidency?

Mere weeks after reappointing his father’s cabinet, the younger Berdimuhamedov has begun to make some personnel changes.

There’s a new Berdimuhamedov at the helm in Turkmenistan. What will the “son of the nation” do with the presidency?

Although all indications are that Serdar intends to follow in his father’s footsteps, Turkmenistan is politically entering uncharted waters.

Will a change in president mean a change in leadership? And even if so, can that change in leadership measurably affect the challenges Turkmenistan faces?

It may turn out that Serdar is just like his father, and nothing will change in Turkmenistan. But new opportunities for engagement amid leadership change are worth exploring.

President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov did not explicitly state he would step down, but the implication seemed clear when he called for early elections and said it was time to open the way for "young leaders."

Presidential meetings in Central Asia are often dismissed for a lack of concrete results and for their exclusively ceremonial character. But there are good reasons to take the latest meeting seriously.