In Turkmenistan , a country wedged between Iran, Afghanistan, and
Uzbekistan,drivers don’t get to choose the color of their cars. Their
president chooses for them.
After first implementing a stop on importation of black cars into
Turkmenistan in 2015, President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has now
banned all black cars throughout the country’s capital, Ashgabat, from
January 2018 forward.
For the last few weeks, dark coloured vehicles have been seized by
police because the country’s president considers white to be lucky. He
is a known lover of white, living in a white palace and travelling in
white limousines in line with his belief the colour brings good fortune.
To retrieve their cars, their owners are reportedly required to sign a
document agreeing to respray the paint in a lighter color.
This order from the federal government immediately increased the
prices of the local auto body shops from about $500 for a full car
respray to $1,000 and more, in a country with an average wage of less
than $500 per month.
Previous unpopular car related rules in Ashgabat include banning
tinted windows in 2014 and restricting the engine size on imported cars
in 2015.He also outlawed imports of coupes and personalised number
plates.
He is also believed to have forced apartment buildings to remove
their air conditioning units to guarantee the pure appearance of his
shining white capital. The country also recently banned women from
driving because they have been accused of causing most car accidents.
Berdymukhammedov also drives a green t:Bugatti Veyron and rules over
one of the most oppressive regimes in the world, even for people who
don’t drive black cars.
