Turkmenistan politics

Four months into Serdar Berdimuhamedov’s presidency much remains the same, but there have been changes too.

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

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.

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."

Power consolidation and the institutional transformations of Turkmenistan’s assembly bodies.

Serdar Berdimuhamedov will be joining the Cabinet of Ministers, another step on the road to a dynasty. 

Turkmen at home and abroad rarely protest, but botched responses to natural disasters and the pandemic have led to a surge of activism.

Given Serdar’s trajectory, it’s hard not to believe he’s heading for the presidency once day.