Extraordinary presidential elections in Turkmenistan are scheduled for March 12, said Bezirgen Karaev, assistant to the chairman of the Central Election Commission. President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov instructed to start preparing for the elections, who believes that it is necessary to give way to the state administration to the young. He did not officially announce his resignation.
“In accordance with the instructions of the President of Turkmenistan, the country’s Central Election Commission has begun preparations for early presidential elections to be held on March 12,” Mr. Karaev told RIA Novosti.
Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has been president since 2011, for three consecutive terms. The last elections in Turkmenistan were held in 2017, and according to the law, the president was supposed to be elected in 2024. In 2016, the Turkmen parliament lifted the term limit for the president. In addition, the country’s constitution was amended to increase the presidential term from five to seven years.
The president of Turkmenistan has an only son, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, who holds the post of deputy prime minister for economics. In November 2021, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov instructed him to control the country’s oil and gas complex.