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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Security tight as Turkmen prepare to bury Niyazov |
| 2006-12-22 |
| So long, Wayne... ASHGABAT (Reuters) - Soldiers and police stepped up their presence on the streets of Turkmenistan's capital on Friday as the Central Asian nation prepared to bury absolute ruler Saparmurat Niyazov, who died with no obvious successor. Problem? He ruled that it was illegal for him to die... Local people said they had seen bread queues in some parts of Ashgabat, and the acting president, in a sign of nervousness ahead of Sunday's funeral, urged officials running the Soviet-style command economy to ensure people had enough to eat. Niyazov, who fostered an extravagant personality cult, crushed all dissent and had himself elected president for life, died on Thursday at 66 of a heart attack after two decades at the helm of the gas-rich desert nation of 5 million. Under a dark cloudy sky, green national flags flew at half-mast as workers in orange uniforms repainted road markings and cleaned the city's broad streets for the funeral. Security was tighter than usual with groups of plainclothes security officers guarding road crossings and soldiers seen at key sites such as the telegraph office. The town is largely closed to foreign visitors. In the first sign of a struggle over the succession, security forces led by Defense Minister Agageldy Mamedgeldyev set up a special State Security Council, naming Deputy Prime Minister Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov as acting head of state. This violated the constitution, which requires the parliament chairman to take over. Oh...formalities, formalities... The unidentified Council members met the cabinet on Friday to discuss "the most important issues of state life." "Brittney: Slut or Pig?", "Trump vs. O'Donnell: Who are we rooting for?" At the meeting, Berdymukhamedov urged officials to ensure there were sufficient food supplies in the country and "firmly control all aspects of national life," state news agency Turkmen Khabarly reported. That don't sound good... The country's top representative body will meet on Tuesday to set a date for elections and decide on the succession. Turkmenistan has never held an election judged fair by Western monitors. Looks like a job for...you know who. Turkmenistan-watchers forecast a turbulent transition period as Russia and the West vie for influence in an ex-Soviet state whose gas reserves are important to Europe. Restaurants were closed across Ashgabat for seven days of national mourning. But there were no public displays of grief. "I was first shocked, then dazed, then I stopped caring," said Anna, a 35-year-old woman working at a local market. Sounds like me. Except for the shocked and dazed part... Some said they were worried that the country, divided for centuries among nomadic tribes, would collapse into tribal rivalry and chaos. "I just hope they don't start thinking about who belongs to which tribe," said Takhir, a scientist in his late 30s. Niyazov, who ran Turkmenistan as a personal fiefdom, was criticised in the West for flouting freedoms and allowing torture in a country largely closed to foreign visitors. Since gaining independence from Moscow in 1991, Turkmenistan has forged what it calls a neutral foreign policy. If they think Wayne's nuts, everyone will leave us alone... Russia's Gazprom buys most of the gas from the huge Turkmen gas fields and controls export routes. Gazprom said it was not worried about the gas deals and saw "no reason to change the terms of these contracts whoever becomes Turkmenistan's leader." Just a different name on the check... Acting president Berdymukhamedov, 49, is seen as a transitional leader. He will hold the position until elections, in about two months, but is banned by the constitution from standing for the presidency in that vote. ...and it sounds like they're real big on the constitution... Speaking to the nation on television on Thursday night, he showered praise on "Saparmurat Turkmenbashi (Head of the Turkmen) the Great" and pledged to uphold his political legacy. Let the insanity continue! Wayne would've wanted it that way... A former communist apparatchik, Niyazov fostered a quirky personality cult in which thousands of portraits and statues of him were set up around the country. A gilded statue of him in Ashgabat rotates to keep his face to the sun. What if the sun didn't come out? "Many foreigners found Niyazov's personality cult amusing," Human Rights Watch said in a statement. "But to people in Turkmenistan living under his regime it was no laughing matter." Admit it, HRW. You thought Wayne was funny too... |
| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #4 Tyrant, smyrant. He kept the mullahs down. Now, that'll change. |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2006-12-22 23:27 |
| #3 I read an article yesterday that said Niyazov had named himself parliament chairman. In which case, setting up some interim process isn't totally unreasonable. Not that I expect any good outcome form all this..... |
| Posted by: Churt Glese2367 2006-12-22 17:03 |
| #2 Berdymukhamedov Oh great, just what we need: another whackjob tyrant with an unpronounceable name. Ahmadinejad wasn't bad enough? |
| Posted by: xbalanke 2006-12-22 14:36 |
| #1 Lead-lined coffin? |
| Posted by: Grunter 2006-12-22 14:29 |