Turkmenistan’s president does donuts around a gas crater called the ‘Gates of Hell’ to quash rumors of his death
- President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, 62, hadn’t been seen since July 5
- The videos show him circling the Dervaza Crater and hitting three strikes
- The autocratic leader has been filmed in rap videos & lifting weights in the past
- Turkmenistan ranks low in terms of freedom with a score of 4/100
Turkmenistan’s President, Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, has squashed the rumours of his death by posting videos of himself striking bowling pins and rallying a race car around the ‘Gates of Hell’ flaming gas crater.
The autocratic leader had failed to appear in public since July 5, causing speculation that he may have fallen ill.
The videos, aired on state TV, show the president sitting in a rally car as it travels the rim of the ‘Gates of Hell’ gas crater in Turkmenistan. Another video shows him hitting three perfect strikes while playing ten pin bowling.
The Dervaza gas crater (pictured) also referred to as the ‘gates or door to hell’ is a natural gas field which the Turkmen government hope will one day become a popular tourist attraction
Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov is famed for releasing videos on state TV showing himself in all kinds of pursuits. This time, the president shows himself driving a rally car around the gas crater
He is then cheered on and applauded by his entourage who are all wearing the same camo and white tracksuit with a backward baseball cap.
This is not the first time that Berdymukhammedov has appeared on state TV to portray himself as a strong, macho leader.
Earlier this year he appeared with his grandson in a rap music video dedicated to his horse and he has been filmed lifting weights in front of his ministerial cabinet, much to their applause and delight.
Another video shows him shooting his pistol from a bicycle.
President Berdymukhammedov is the second head of state in the history of Turkmenistan since it gained independence after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1990.
According to Freedom House, Turkmenistan has a freedome score of 4/100 making it on of the ‘least free’ countries in terms of political rights and civil liberties.
Their website says that elections are uncontested and the president has a tight grip over the media output in the country.
The president lands three perfect strikes to the applause of his entourage. Some Twitter users suggested that the video was cut to show him in the best light
President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov is Turkmenistan’s second ‘president for life’ since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The country is rated as having poor freedom with an ‘economy dominated by the state, corruption is systemic, religious groups are persecuted, and political dissent is not tolerated’