Months named for dictator
The week's news at a glance.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan’s megalomaniacal president-for-life, Saparmurat Niyazov, proposed this week that the months of the year be renamed for national heroes—like himself. He suggested calling January “Turkmenbashi,” a word that means “leader of all Turkmen” and is Niyazov’s self-appointed title. The rubber-stamp legislature enthusiastically agreed, and insisted that April be named for Niyazov’s late mother, Gurbansoltan. Countless streets, cities, and buildings are already named for the dictator, a former communist who has ruled Turkmenistan since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. “This is a joke,” Ashgabat resident Bairam Orazov said. “It seems like he lives on another planet.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
How the woke right gained power in the US
Under the radar The term has grown in prominence since Donald Trump returned to the White House
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK
-
Codeword: April 24, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff
-
Crossword: April 24, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff