Turkmenistan: a dictatorship in the desert

Turkmenistan is a barren country from central Asia as big as France, with 4,3 millions of inhabitants. The longest irrigation canal represents a line of life from east to west along which the main part of the population is concentrated. The population is mainly rural and is divided in seven tribes. The Turkmen people are above all loyal to their clan, which does not prevent them from having a strong national identity.
Turkmenistan is a former soviet republic, which has gone through the communist era without major problems. The declaration of independence from the 27th of October 1991 has not provoked any revolution. The president of the Turkmen Supreme Soviet since 1990, Saparmourad Nyazov, was elected president of the republic in October 1991, then again in June 1992, in elections without opponents, in which he got 98% of the suffrages.
Nyazov establishes a personality cult and makes himself called “Turkmenbachy”, which means Turkmen leader. This nickname is systematically given to the big avenues of the cities, and even to a port on the Caspian Sea. His golden statue (see above), in the center of the capital Achkhabad is the symbol of this personal power. The Turkmen parliament gave him in 1999 the presidency for life. During the legislative elections, almost all the candidates are issued from the president’s party. Since 1991, Nyazov has strengthened his power over the Turkmen public life. The media are censored and the opposition party, Agzybirlik has disappeared following the arrest of all of its leaders in 1992.
The president has largely reduced the credits for the health department, leading to the closing of numerous hospitals, and to the appearance of diseases such as tuberculosis, cholera or dysentery. Saparmourad Nyazov died the 21st of December 2006 without having held his promise to permit to each Turkmen family to own a brand new Mercedes.
His successor has not engaged his country on the way of liberalisation. Indeed, Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedow was elected the 11th of February 2007, while his main opponent has been prevented from being candidate. The winner had prepared his investiture ceremony before the poll, and no independent journalist has been accorded a visa to cover these elections.
On the international level, Turkmenistan is neutral and is concentrated on finding buyers for its natural gas. An agreement with the Gazprom company has been announced in February 2000, by which the Russian giant agrees to evacuate the Turkmen gas at good prices. This transaction is the only element interesting the United States and Europe concerning Turkmenistan. However, only an accurate attention from the international community could constrain the Ashkhabad power to evolve towards democracy and respect of the Human Rights.