- Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has been the president of Turkmenistan, one of the world's most restrictive and secretive countries in the world, since 2006.
- Activists have decried the country's human-rights record and its closed nature, and experts have warned about the country's economy.
- Yet Berdymukhamedov has made flashy displays a hallmark of his leadership, from building gold statues of himself to driving classic cars and putting on live DJ sets.
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Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov serves as the head of one of the world's most secretive countries, leading a country with a widely-denounced human-rights record but becoming famous for his eccentric behaviour.
Berdymukhamedov, who has been in power since 2006, is keen to present a strongman image, and often pulls flashy stunts.
He drives classic cars and competes in horse races, shows off his love for music by DJing and writing raps, and once gave himself a giant gold-leaf statue in the center of the capital city.
Information about Turkmenistan is tightly restricted, with almost no one able to enter. Here's everything we know about him.