Ashgabat (AsiaNews/Agencies) – After six months in government, President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has introduced few of his promised reforms. Meanwhile, on 29 June, for his 50th birthday, he awarded himself the Watan (Motherland) Order, a gold and diamond pendant weighing about 1 kilogram for his “outstanding achievements” in his barely six months in office.  He also received a bonus of $20,000 and received a 30 percent increase in his salary and future pension. The government coined 400 gold and silver coins decorated with the president's portrait.  He has also had his biography published.

It is hard not to see a continuation of the personality cult started by the former president Niyazov, who put his picture in public places, on banknotes, bottles of alcohol, and who had golden statues depicting him erected everywhere. He also called himself Turkmenbashi (“father of all Turkmen”) and published a book of reflections (the Ruhnama) which was an obligatory text book in schools and on show in all mosques. Now many of his portraits have been removed from walls and street signs. But a good deal have been replaced by the image of Berdymukhamedov.

After stepping into power in December and his election the following February (in a ballot criticized by experts as “unfair”), Berdymukhamedov raised hopes of change. Meanwhile, he consolidated his power by eliminating some eminent figures, like Akmurad Rejepov, the former head of the presidential Guard who was arrested in May.

Other observers note that the president reinstated 100,000 pensions as from 1 July and reopened the Academy of Sciences, which was described by his predecessor as a "useless institution" and closed down.  And there is much anticipation for his foreign policy decisions, not least because the country is rich in energy resources. During his birthday celebrations, the president reiterated that Ashgabat wants to maintain a “neutral status” with all and “wants to build new gas pipelines to carry our gas to China, Pakistan and India via Afghanistan, and to Europe via the Caspian Sea.” Experts say that in exchange, no one will be expected to interfere in the “home affairs” of the country, which are marked by continued violation of human rights and by a lack of religious freedom. Despite the wealth that lies beneath the surface, the majority of the population lives in poverty.