Turkmenator 2: The cult of personality

How do you manage your public image if you're the autocratic leader of a state Human Rights Watch describes as "among the world's most repressive and closed countries"?

If you're Turkmenistan President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, part of the answer, it seems, lies in appearing on a state television channel playing basketball while riding a bicycle. Obviously.

President Berdymukhamedov, a former dentist, has previously appeared on state television showing off his prowess with a range of weapons, spawning an opposition parody video using footage from the Arnold Schwarzenegger film Commando and birthing the nickname "The Turkmenator".

In an opposition video, President Berdymukhamedov can be seen dribbling a basketball around a gym on a bike before shooting several baskets from the saddle.

Senior security officials - trying to replicate the 60-year-old president's exploits on foot - are then seen missing the hoop, in footage originally aired on Turkmen state TV and edited by the opposition website Hronikatm.com.
President Berdymukhamedov also appears to be showing an official how to lift weights.

The footage was uploaded to Facebook on Wednesday, where it has attracted more than 20,000 views, generating significant discussion and drawing comparisons with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

"Not a president but a fairy tale," one user wrote. "One recalls that Saddam Hussein also swam through the Euphrates and messed around with a golden assault rifle."
Others were less critical.

"Cycle ball - a new type of sport," one social media user said.

"A dentist training law enforcers. Praiseworthy, respect," wrote another.