Son of Turkmenistan’s all-powerful leader wins presidential election, establishing a political dynasty
- Serdar Berdymukhamedov wins decisive victory in presidential election among field of nine candidates
- His father Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has dominated public life in Turkmenistan since 2006
Turkmenistan established a political dynasty Tuesday, as authorities said the son of the Central Asian country’s leader won its presidential election after an unusual vote-counting delay.
Serdar Berdymukhamedov, 40, was the overwhelming favourite in Saturday’s election to lead the isolated, gas-rich country and succeed his father, Gurbanguly. The central election commission said Serdar Berdymukhamedov won 72.97 per cent of the votes.
His nearest rival in a field of nine candidates was university official Khyrdyr Nunnayev, who won 11 per cent.
There was an unexpected wait for the result, after authorities said Sunday they needed more time to count the votes. Central election commission chairman Gulmyrat Myradov told reporters that votes were still being counted, including those from people living abroad, and that preliminary results would likely be reported Monday.
Turkmenistan typically announces preliminary election results on the following day, such as when the elder Berdymukhamedov won re-election with more than 97 per cent of the vote in 2017. No election in Turkmenistan, which became independent with the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, has been considered genuinely competitive.
Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, 64, announced the vote last month, saying the country should be run by younger people. He had been the country’s leader since he was first appointed acting president when the eccentric Saparmurat Niyazov died in December 2006.