Turkmenistan’s new president inaugurated, pledges to keep father’s course
- Official results showed Serdar Berdymukhamedov, 40, winning the ballot on March 12 with 73 per cent of the vote, beating eight token candidates
- Gas-rich Turkmenistan, a former Soviet republic, is one of the world’s most repressive, secretive states and little is known about how the regime makes day-to-day decisions
Turkmenistan’s new president pledged on Saturday to continue the tightly controlled country’s political course, including international neutrality, at an inauguration ceremony confirming the Central Asian state’s father-son leadership transition.
Official results showed Serdar Berdymukhamedov, 40, winning last Saturday’s ballot with 73 per cent of the vote, beating eight token candidates.
It marked the beginning of a new era after 64-year-old strongman Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov announced plans to step down last month.
Donning a giant golden chain of office in a ceremony rich with pomp, the younger Berdymukhamedov said he would “continue the path of development created over 30 years of our sacred independence”.
“In our external relations we will retain the policy of neutrality,” he added.
Gas-rich Turkmenistan, a former Soviet republic, is one of the world’s most repressive, secretive states and little is known about how the regime makes day-to-day decisions.
The elder Berdymukhamedov, has been its main face since 2006, when he ascended to power following the death of founding autocrat Saparmurat Niyazov.