The election commission announces after an unusual delay that Serdar Berdymukhamedov secured nearly 73 percent of votes. Turkmenistan authorities have said the son of the Central Asian country’s leader won the presidential election after an unusual vote-counting delay, establishing a political dynasty in one of the world’s most tightly controlled countries. Serdar Berdymukhamedov, 40, secured 72.97 percent of votes in …
The news comes after the president suggested he was ready to resign, with his son likely to become the successor. Turkmenistan will hold an early presidential election on March 12, a Central Election Commission official said after President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov hinted he planned to resign. “The president … gave us an instruction to prepare for early presidential elections on March …
Turkmenistan’s autocratic leader has established a national holiday to honor the local dog breed, media reports said Tuesday. President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov ordered the holiday praising the Alabai, the Central Asian shepherd dog, to be celebrated on the last Sunday of April when the ex-Soviet nation also marks the day of the local horse breed, according to the daily Neutral Turkmenistan. …