Turkmenistan’s president expands his father’s power

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (AP) — Turkmenistan’s president has appointed his father to lead the country’s newly formed supreme representative body. Serdar Berdymukhamedov named his father, former President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, as chairman of Halk Maslahaty, or People’s Council, late Saturday. The elder Berdymukhamedov initiated the creation of the People’s Council as the upper house of parliament in 2021 and previously presided over it. On Saturday, the council was transformed into the supreme representative body. The revamped People’s Council has the power to change the country’s constitution and determine the main guidelines of domestic and foreign policies, giving the 65-year-old Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov powerful levers to shape the country’s course.