A massive 24-carat gold-leafed statue of the president of Turkmenistan has been unveiled in Ashgabat, the capital of the Central Asian nation. The statue depicts acting president Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov riding a horse, perched 21 meters (69 feet) tall atop a giant slab of marble. Officials claim the statue was built in response to widespread public demand.
Reuters reported that the grandiose statue was unveiled as assembled children released white doves and balloons into the sky.
Hundreds of monuments were erected to Turkmenistan’s previous president Saparmurat Niyazov during his rule from 1991 to 2006.
Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov was appointed President of Turkmenistan in 2006, following the death of the country’s previous president. He is the second president of an independent Turkmenistan following the breakup of the Soviet Union. Berdymukhamedov won the following election in 2007 and was reelected again in 2012, winning 97 percent of the vote.
According to the BBC, this is the first statue erected in honor of current president.