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PoliticsTurkmenistan

Turkmenistan: Autocrat president's son claims landslide win

March 15, 2022

The son of Turkmenistan's autocrat leader Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov won the presidential elections by a considerable margin. The result was announced after an unusual vote-counting delay.

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Turkmenistan's new leader Serdar Berdimuhamedov
Turkemenistan has a poor human rights recordImage: Vladimir Smirnov/TASS/IMAGO

Serdar Berdymukhamedov, whose father has run Turkmenistan since 2006, was elected president with nearly 73% of votes cast, according to the country's electoral commission.

The switch of presidents is the first hereditary succession in the former Soviet region of Central Asia and comes after a dizzying rise through the ranks for the younger Berdymukhamedov.

Who was in the running?

Voting got underway on Saturday in the tightly controlled election, which most observers had said was all but certain to bring about the father-son succession.

There were 8 other candidates in the election, including some relatively unknown low-level public servants. The Turkmen constitution allows for a new president to be elected for a 7-year term.

The closest rival in a field of nine candidates was university official Khyrdyr Nunnayev, who garnered 11% of the votes.

However, the 40-year-old Serdar had been the overwhelming favorite in Saturday's election to take over from his father and to lead the gas-rich country. He has held a number of prominent government posts, most recently as Turkmenistan's deputy prime minister.

He is commonly referred to by local media as "the son of the nation." His 64-year-old father Gurbanguly — who plans to stay on as speaker of the upper house — is known as Arkadag, or Protector.

Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov
The elder Berdymukhamedov has run the country since 2006Image: Yevgeny Biyatov, Sputnik, Kremlin/picture alliance

Result delayed by days

There had been an unexpected wait for the result, as authorities on Sunday said they needed more time to count the votes.

Turkmenistan normally releases preliminary results the day immediately after the vote, such as when the elder Berdymukhamedov was reelected with 97% of the vote in 2017.

A cult of personality

The elder Berdymukhamedov announced the vote last month, saying Turkmenistan should be run by younger people.

He has led the country since he was first appointed acting president when the eccentric Saparmurat Niyazov died in December 2006.

During his rule, Berdymukhamedo established a cult of personality, showing off his physical fitness with stunts including driving sports cars, target shooting and weightlifting.

During his time, China replaced Russia as the main buyer for the country's huge gas reserves.

rc/wd (AFP, AP, Reuters)