Published December 02, 2015
Legislators in the authoritarian Central Asian nation of Turkmenistan are considering scrapping the 70-year age limit at which a president can serve, enabling the incumbent to serve for life.
State media on Friday cited parliament speaker Akdzha Nurberdyeva as saying a constitutional commission may also extend the presidential terms by two years, to seven years.
Both provisions will boost the already-substantial grip over power wielded by President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, 57.
Berdymukhamedov, a dentist by training, came to power after the sudden death in 2006 of his eccentric predecessor, Saparmurat Niyazov.
Although initially seen as a possible reformer, Berdymukhamedov has paid little heed to calls for his energy-rich country to boost democratic freedoms. Instead, he is now presiding over an increasingly extravagant cult of personality aimed at legitimizing his rule.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/turkmenistan-mulls-proposals-to-broaden-presidential-rule-opening-way-for-leadership-for-life