Turkmen meeting may offer clues to who takes power
Source: Reuters
(Adds quotes by Berdymukhamedov) By Michael Steen ASHGABAT, Dec 25 (Reuters) - Delegates headed to Turkmenistan's capital for a Tuesday meeting likely to offer clues to who will take power following the death of the nation's authoritarian leader. Buses carrying members of the Halk Maslakhaty (People's Assembly) from across the Central Asian country poured into Ashgabat on Monday, a day after the city came to a standstill for the funeral of President Saparmurat Niyazov. The death of the man who held absolute power for 21 years has plunged the gas-producing ex-Soviet state into uncertainty. There were signs acting President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov might get the green light to become long-term president. It was not, however, clear whether any single leader would wield unfettered power as Niyazov did. "You would imagine that he would be the main candidate," a diplomat in Ashgabat said of Berdymukhamedov. "The signs are of a stable transition, which looks promising for the immediate stability of the country." Exiled Turkmen opposition leaders, speaking in Ukraine, suggested major changes were afoot, with security leaders close to Niyazov taking steps to consolidate their positions. "Tomorrow, the real people who will rule everything will appear," said Khudaiberdy Orazov, leader of the Watan opposition movement. "The acting president is not a leader. There are forces behind him." Niyazov crushed dissent, jailing rivals or forcing them into exile and modelling his security apparatus on the Soviet KGB. PERSONALITY CULT Niyazov himself proposed changes altering the relationship between different institutions in the country of five million. Last year, he told the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe that he would step down in 2009. Real power, he said, would shift to the head of the Halk Maslakhaty, a job Niyazov also held along with that of prime minister, commander-in-chief, and head of the only political party. The Halk Maslakhaty, made up of 2,500 national and local officials and village elders, is expected to set an election date. It must also elect a chairman, who will be influential in nominating presidential candidates. Sunday's funeral of the man who proclaimed himself Turkmenbashi the Great, or Leader of All Turkmen, and then applied the name to streets, towns, banks, buildings and even a brand of vodka, suggested that Turkmenistan's acting rulers plan at least for now to maintain his personality cult. In a display of apparent continuity, national television said Berdymukhamedov ordered ministers to finalise construction projects due to be launched on Feb. 19, when Turkmenistan marks Niyazov's birthday as a national holiday. "The great leader has always paid huge attention to developing cities and villages, improving living conditions for the Turkmens," Berdymukhamedov, shown on the television, told a government meeting. The new authorities, backed by the army and key ministers, have so far vowed to pursue Niyazov's policies and keep to existing gas deals. "The acting government will naturally fall back on the spine on the previous government, which was the security forces," the diplomat said. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher, who attended the funeral, proposed "a new beginning" in relations. The diplomat said the foreign community hoped Turkmenistan would reform, move towards democracy and curtail human rights abuses, but added: "At the moment, that's just an aspiration." (Additional reporting by Marat Gurt and by Olena Horodetska in Kiev)
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