An unprecedented delay in vote counting after the presidential elections in Turkmenistan ended with authorities declaring Serdar Berdymukhamedov, the son of incumbent President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, as the winner on Tuesday.
There was an unexpected wait for the result of Saturday’s voting, after authorities said Sunday they needed more time to count the votes. Serdar Berdymukhamedov was the overwhelming favorite and the central election commission announced that he won 72.97% of the votes.
Central election commission chair 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.
"Let's have a little patience. It is very responsible work and requires careful checking,” he said.
Eight other candidates ran in the elections, which were followed by observers from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Organization of Turkic States (OTS) and Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). In a press conference on Sunday, Leonid Anfimov, the head of observer delegation from CIS, had said that the elections were conducted in a high organizational level and were fairly competitive.
"The election was held in a democratic environment and in a transparent manner," Anfimov had said.
Gismat Gozalov, the firsty deputy secretary-general of the OTS, said that the election was held in line with international standards and local laws.
The victory of Serdar Berdymukhamedov cements his family’s political dynasty at the helm of the gas-rich country. Following the death of the founding president Saparmurat Niyazov, also known as "Turkmenbashi," in late 2006, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov first took over as acting president and was later elected to the post with nearly 90% of the votes.
Berdymukhamedov was reelected twice, last in 2017, with 97% of the votes. Last month, Berdymukhamedov said he would step aside and allow "young leaders" to govern, triggering a snap vote.
Serdar Berdymukhamedov, 40, has risen through a series of increasingly prominent government posts and most recently served as the country’s deputy prime minister, answering directly to his father.
He entered parliament in 2016. Since then he has been a deputy foreign minister, the head of a province outside the capital and industry and construction minister. Last year he won a triple promotion, taking up roles as deputy cabinet chair, auditor general and member of the security council.
Across the Caspian Sea in Azerbaijan, President Ilham Aliyev took the helm upon his father Heydar Aliyev's death in 2003.
Tajikistan, the ex-Soviet bloc's poorest successor state, is expected to follow a similar path, with upper house head Rustam Emomali, 34, in pole position to succeed veteran leader Emomali Rakhmon, 69, should Rakhmon retire or prove unable to fulfill his duties.
