Turkmenistan - January 2023

Turkmenistan’s upper house of parliament will be transformed into a “higher power” advisory council to be overseen by the country’s former president, Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov. Constitutional changes are frequent in Turkmenistan, and the purpose of this one is unclear, but analysts suggest the core motivation involves Berdymukhammedov’s wish to take more official power away from his son, the country’s current president.

Sources: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (1), EurasiaNet, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (2)