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Tuesday 16 Feb 2016 - 11:09 Makkah mean time-7-5-1437
President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov (Image from Internet)
Ashgabat (IINA) – Commission led by Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has drafted a new constitution which extends the presidential term to seven years from five and removes the upper age limit on candidates for presidency, Reuters reported.
The move solidifies Berdymukhamedov's already sweeping powers at a time when the gas-rich Central Asian nation is suffering from a sharp drop in export revenues.
Turkmenistan's parliament may pass the new constitution, published by main state newspaper Neutral Turkmenistan on Monday for national discussion, later this year.
Berdymukhamedov, 58, is serving his second term as president after securing re-election in 2012. The current constitution imposes no limits on the number of terms he can run for, but sets a ceiling for presidential candidates' age at 70 years. His predecessor Saparmurat Niyazov had ruled as president for life until his death in 2006.
Other Central Asian leaders are also looking to strengthen their grip on power as economies across the region struggle with a drop in commodity prices and the spillover from Russia's recession.
Allies of Tajikistan’s President Imomali Rakhmon have called a referendum on constitutional changes that would allow him to run for an unlimited number of terms.
President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev called a snap parliamentary election last month that will make it easier for his Nur Otan party to retain control over the legislature.
AB/IINA
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