January 02, 2009	Friday	Muharram 04, 1430

ASHGABAT: Turkmenistan on Thursday moved to remove the image of late dictator Saparmurat Niyazov from its banknotes, issuing new easier-to-handle notes in the latest blow to Niyazov’s personality cult.

The removal of the man known as Turkmenbashi from all but one denomination came with the introduction of new notes shorn of three of the zeros that meant even small transactions often involved tens of thousands of Turkmen manats.

The introduction of new notes in the course of this year should “increase the effectiveness of the economy, simplify pricing and ease accounting and integration with the market economy,” the central bank said in a statement.

The new notes feature a variety of historical figures, with Niyazov’s beaming features appearing only on the highest value note, the 500 manat, which is worth about $175 dollars.

His successor, President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, has moved to dismantle many aspects of Niyazov’s personality cult, which included the placing of gold statues and busts of himself throughout the country and a statue of his mother holding the scales of justice outside the justice ministry.—AFP