The government of Turkmenistan in Central Asia is expected to adopt a new constitution this year. The draft presented by the committee chaired by President Berdymukhamedov will extend the presidential term from five to seven years and abolish the age limit for presidential candidates (70 under the current constitution), resulting in a new constitution that will further solidify presidential power. Congress will formally approve it by the end of the year.forecastThe first is.

The first president of Turkmenistan, which became independent in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union.President Niyazov.ruled the nation with strong authority based on the worship of the individual. He severely suppressed freedom of politics and speech, and even decided that he would serve as president for the rest of his life. He erected huge statues of himself in the capital and other places. He also instituted a number of bizarre policies. In 2005, he ordered the closure of hospitals outside the capital.

Statue of former President Niyazov (Photo: Velirina / Shutterstock.com)

After Niyazov's death from illness in 2006, Berdymukhamedov, then Minister of Health, who was in a position to implement the policy of hospital closures, took over as president. He lifted the extreme policies introduced by former President Niyazov, which had been viewed as problematic, and began to dismantle the personal worship of Niyazov. However, a new trend of personal worship of himself was observed, and in 2015 a huge bronze statue of President Berdymukhamedov was erected in the capital.

President Berdymukhamedov (Photo: Deepspace / Shutterstock.com)

Severe repression of politics and speech remains strong. Each year, the world's democracies are measured and ranked according to their level of democratic achievement.Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)(2015), Turkmenistan is an "autocratic regime" and was ranked 162nd out of 167 countries, near the bottom of the list.Human Rights Watchconsiders the human rights situation in Turkmenistan to be "deplorable," and numerousTorture, enforced disappearanceand other damage has been confirmed.

However, there has been little noticeable attention or criticism from foreign governments over democracy and human rights issues in Turkmenistan. The European Union (EU) is working toward a trade agreement with Turkmenistan that removes conditions for human rights improvements andNegotiations are underway.Turkmenistan. Japanese Prime Minister Abe visited Turkmenistan in 2015 to help Japanese companies furtherAgreement.The following is a list of the most common problems with the

Oil rigs in the Caspian Sea By www.dragonoil.com. [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

This can be attributed to the abundance of natural gas and oil that Turkmenistan possesses: more than half of its GDP comes from the energy industry, especially when it comes to natural gas,9.3% of world reservesand is the fourth largest in the world. It carries natural gas and oil from the landlocked country of Turkmenistan.rootTurkmenistan is also attracting the attention of many countries, which are competing with each other. The calculation may be that by maintaining good relations with the Turkmenistan government, other countries can secure access to resources and opportunities to participate in infrastructure and other related projects.

With the completion of a pipeline connecting China in 2009, China has surpassed Russia and Iran as an export destination. In addition, a pipeline was completed in 2015 to connect Turkmenistan to the Caspian Sea, crossing the country from east to west, and gas is expected to reach Europe by 2019. In addition, construction of a pipeline connecting Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India has been underway in earnest since 2016.

Foreign countries are not only interested in economic strategies, but also military ones: neighboring Turkmenistan has played an air refueling role in the war in Afghanistan, which has been going on since 2001, as one of the logistical bases for the United States. At the airport in the capital of Ashkhabad.U.S. Air Force stationed thereThe company has been working on this project, and it is believed that a base may be provided.

Neighboring Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are also rich in oil, natural gas, and other mineral resources, but like Turkmenistan, they have serious problems with democracy and human rights. In Uzbekistan, in 2005, the national armyatrocityIt is unclear whether the political environment will improve after the death of longtime dictatorial President Islam Karimov in September 2016. As long as there are natural resource ties throughout Central Asia, it is unlikely that foreign governments will be encouraged in earnest to improve the current state of democracy and human rights.

Although Turkmenistan's isolation makes it difficult for journalists to enter the country and engage in news activities, it is important for journalists to look at Turkmenistan from the perspective of a third party with no vested interest in the country in order to improve the situation.

Writer: Virgil Hawkins
Graphic: JT-FSD