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| - Turkmenistan's strongman leader approved constitutional changes on Friday including the creation of a potentially powerful new position in parliament, fuelling speculation that he plans to hand power to his son. President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, 63, signed off on changes including the creation of an upper house of parliament, with the head of the new chamber positioned to become acting president if the head of state is unable to fulfil his duties. Berdymukhamedov's son Serdar is widely believed to be in pole position to head up the senate-like body, paving the way for a potential hereditary succession. Berdymukhamedov pledged the new legislature would "bring the activity of democratic institutions to a new level" and said lawmakers would be elected to the restructured parliament next year, after the changes enter force. The amendments were approved by the present parliament and another quasi-legislative body during a session that Berdymukhamedov addressed via teleconference. Annette Bohr, an associate fellow of the Russia and Eurasia programme at Chatham House think tank, said most analysts were "placing their bets on the position ultimately going to Serdar", a lawmaker and minister whose rise through government ranks she described as meteoric. But she dismissed the idea that the restructure might affect the way the authoritarian state is run, with all institutions including the parliament seen as unbendingly loyal to Berdymukhamedov. "It is a bit like moving books around on a bookshelf when it is clear that the government should be enacting much more urgent reforms aimed at saving the ailing economy," Bohr told AFP. Serdar Berdymukhamedov, who turned 39 on Tuesday, is currently minister of industry and construction, a position he combines with a place in the parliament and chairmanship of the national dog association. Berdymukhamedov struck an upbeat tone on the economy on Friday even as foreign rights groups delivered a stark warning over reported food shortages in the isolated country. Speaking just before the amendments were passed without opposition, he acknowledged the economic impact of the coronavirus on all countries but said Turkmenistan had "significant volumes of finances in reserve". The New York-based Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday the government was failing to acknowledge long-term food shortages that the pandemic had compounded with "people waiting hours in line to try to buy more affordable food products". In many cases queuers were being turned away empty-handed, HRW said. Having initially ignored the coronavirus to stage mass cycling events and horse races, Turkmenistan has since implemented a lockdown, halting passenger trains and shutting restaurants and shops. But the country still denies it has any cases despite a World Health Organization delegation expressing concern in July over reports of pneumonia outbreaks. The regime has also spent lavishly on new projects -- most recently a mysterious, nameless city being built in the Akhal province from which Berdymukhamedov's family hails -- disregarding the collapse in prices for hydrocarbons that account for around 90 percent of exports. In February, Berdymukhamedov said the government had committed $1.5 billion to the new project described by the head of a pro-government union as "a city for the ages". Berdymukhamedov, a former dentist and health minister, faces no dissent at home, where he benefits from fawning media coverage of his personal hobbies and is feted by a golden statue of his likeness on horseback. But the Turkmen diaspora has been finding its voice, with an opposition movement emerging and demonstrations staged outside embassies in the United States and Turkey this year. Ruslan Myatiyev, a Turkmen who runs the Turkmen.news media outlet from the Netherlands, said little was known about the aims of the new foreign-based opposition or the personalities behind it. "They are playing a card -- they know the population is tired of this regime, the food shortages, the money shortages," Myatiyev told AFP. al-cr/as/jxb
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