Turkmenistan leader’s son wins presidential vote
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, Al Jazeera reports.
Serdar Berdymukhamedov, 40, secured 72.97 percent of votes in Saturday’s election to lead the gas-rich country and succeed his father Gurbanguly, the central election commission said on Tuesday.
His nearest rival in a field of nine candidates was university official Khyrdyr Nunnayev, who won 11 percent.
There was an unexpected wait for the result, after authorities said on 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 on Monday.
Turkmenistan, an isolated country of six million people, typically announces preliminary election results on the following day, such as when the elder Berdymukhamedov won re-election with more than 97 percent of the vote in 2017.