President, rider and singer: 10 facts about Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov

The President of Turkmenistan has decided to "make way for the young" after 15 years in power. On March 12, presidential elections were held in the country. They were won by Serdar Berdimuhamedov. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov was born in 1957 in the village of Babarap, Turkmen SSR. He is the only son in a large family. Today, streets, squares and schools are named after Berdimuhamedov's grandfather and father in Turkmenistan. Some media called Berdimuhamedov the illegitimate son of the lifelong president of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov, but this information was not confirmed. This was supported by the resemblance and unsinkability of Berdymukhammedov in the cabinet of ministers - he managed to avoid all the government purges that Niyazov regularly carried out. He graduated from the Faculty of Dentistry of the Turkmen State Medical Institute, worked in his specialty for several years, until in 1997 he was appointed Minister of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan. In 2001, he received the post of deputy chairman of the cabinet of ministers (Niyazov himself was the chairman of the government). In 2006, Niyazov, who had ruled the republic for 21 years, died, and Berdymukhammedov was put in charge of organizing his funeral. Berdimuhamedov also received the post of acting head of state. Initially, the head of the Mejlis, Ovezgeldy Atayev, was supposed to act as president, but a criminal case was suddenly initiated against him. Berdimuhamedov won the election, receiving, according to the CEC, 89.23% of the vote. In 2012 and 2017, he again won the elections with a score of 97.14 and 94.27%, respectively. In 2017, the Constitution of Turkmenistan was amended, according to which the president was elected not for five, but for seven years. In this way,

Berdimuhamedov's achievement of the "age of the prophet" turned into elections Politics

During his presidency, Berdymukhammedov, who received the title of "arkadag" (Turkm. - "patron"), fought against the personality cult of his predecessor. The name of the former president was removed from the text of the oath, which is taken when applying for a job, school and university, as well as from the anthem. In 2009, institutions and enterprises began to seize Niyazov’s “main book of the Turkmen people,” Niyazov’s Ruhnama, with philosophical and historical texts. Instead, Berdymukhammedov's book was imported. The number of hours of teaching Ruhnama was reduced in schools, and the exam for it was cancelled. In 2010, Berdymukhammedov was included in the list of the worst dictators in the world according to The Foreign Policy magazine. In 2022, in the ranking of economic freedom, Turkmenistan was in 165th position among 180 countries. In recent years, Berdymukhammedov has become famous for his eccentric actions, which were widely covered by the state media. For example, he is not only a president, but also a singer. Since 2009, he has released eight singles, several of which were recorded with his grandchildren. In 2018, a video for a song about the president's horse received more than 0.5 million views on YouTube. In January 2022, Berdimuhamedov’s order to put out the “Shine of the Karakum” crater (popularly “Gates of Hell”), from which burning gas has been escaping for the past 50 years, caused a resonance. According to the Turkmen president, gas has a negative impact on the environment and the health of residents. He already ordered to extinguish this crater in 2010. Then the reason was called possible interference with the development of nearby gas fields. Berdymukhammedov's other hobbies include classical wrestling, karate and horseback riding. In 2013, he won the race on his own Akhal-Teke horse Berkarara, after falling out of the saddle after the finish line, and received $ 11.05 million in prize money. The Turkmen media did not report the fall. The president's love of horses led to the creation of an annual horse beauty pageant. Berdymukhammedov has three children: two daughters and a son. Daughters constantly lived abroad, and son Serdar managed to work in various government positions. In 2021, he received the post of Deputy Prime Minister - given that the government is headed by the president, he became the deputy father. On March 12, Serdar Berdimuhamedov won the presidential election, gaining, according to the Central Election Commission of Turkmenistan, 72.97% of the vote. On March 19, he took office as head of state. The president's love of horses led to the creation of an annual horse beauty pageant. Berdymukhammedov has three children: two daughters and a son. Daughters constantly lived abroad, and son Serdar managed to work in various government positions. In 2021, he received the post of Deputy Prime Minister - given that the government is headed by the president, he became the deputy father. On March 12, Serdar Berdimuhamedov won the presidential election, gaining, according to the Central Election Commission of Turkmenistan, 72.97% of the vote. On March 19, he took office as head of state. The president's love of horses led to the creation of an annual horse beauty pageant. Berdymukhammedov has three children: two daughters and a son. Daughters constantly lived abroad, and son Serdar managed to work in various government positions. In 2021, he received the post of Deputy Prime Minister - given that the government is headed by the president, he became the deputy father. On March 12, Serdar Berdimuhamedov won the presidential election, gaining, according to the Central Election Commission of Turkmenistan, 72.97% of the vote. On March 19, he took office as head of state. that the government is headed by the president, he became his father's deputy. On March 12, Serdar Berdimuhamedov won the presidential election, gaining, according to the Central Election Commission of Turkmenistan, 72.97% of the vote. On March 19, he took office as head of state. that the government is headed by the president, he became his father's deputy. On March 12, Serdar Berdimuhamedov won the presidential election, gaining, according to the Central Election Commission of Turkmenistan, 72.97% of the vote. On March 19, he took office as head of state.