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Turkmenistan: Bye-bye Bashi

12/11/08

Turkmenistan is to ditch references to former president Saparmurat Niyazov in the national anthem. The new version of the anthem – which will omit four references to Turkmensbashi, Niyazov's self-styled title, meaning Father of the Turkmen – will be introduced on December 21, the second anniversary of the mercurial dictator's death.

The changes were announced by parliamentary chairwoman Akdzha Nurbadyeva at a government meeting in early December. Nurbadyeva said she had received "numerous appeals from the country's citizens" to amend the anthem and added that it would now meet "universally recognized international standards," according to a report distributed by the British Broadcasting Corp.

President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov approved the proposal to alter the national song, the lyrics of which were written by Niyazov himself. A reference in the last verse to blinding cruel onlookers will remain.