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In Turkmenistan, drivers don’t get to choose the color of their cars. Their president chooses for them. Well, he at least limits which hues are available. After first implementing a stop on importation of black cars into Turkmenistan in 2015, President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has reportedly now banned all black cars throughout the country’s capital, Ashgabat, from January 2018 forward. Note: This is the same guy who gifted Vladimir Putin a puppy for his birthday.
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According to the Chronicles of Turkmenistan, some motorists have found their cars to be missing this new year, because many black cars have been towed to police impound lots. To retrieve their cars, their owners are reportedly required to sign a document agreeing to respray the paint in a lighter color. White is said to be preferred because it is believed in the country to be good luck.
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Auto-body shops are taking full advantage of the situation: the price of a respray has reportedly skyrocketed to, in some cases, more than twice the average citizen’s monthly salary. Average wages in the authoritarian country are reportedly the equivalent of less than $ 500 per month.
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Meanwhile, President Berdymukhamedov himself is known to drive a bright-green Bugatti Veyron, because of course he does.
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