The list of top-level defectors from Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov's inner circle continues to grow. Former Deputy Prime Minister Khudaiberdy Orazov announced February 18 that he had joined Turkmenistan's opposition. While the defection certainly tarnishes Niyazov's image, experts say the opposition movement must overcome significant obstacles before it can exert influence on Turkmenistan's development.

Orazov once headed the country's Central Bank and represented it before the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. While other top-level defectors, including former foreign minister Boris Shikhmuradov, have focused their criticism on Niyazov's establishment of a cult of personality, Orazov has taken aim at exposing faults in Turkmenistan's economic development. He called the country's economic condition "critical."

"Like many of my colleagues