Turkmenistan elects new president

Agencies | Ashgabat

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Serdar Berdymukhamedov, the son of outgoing Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, won a snap election with 73% of the vote and will succeed his father, the Central Asian nation's Central Election Commission said.

The victory of 40-year-old Serdar Berdymukhamedov was widely expected after his father elevated him to the No.2 position in the country as a deputy prime minister, clearly indicating that he was the designated successor.

Eight other candidates ran in the election. Under the Turkmen constitution, the president is elected for a seven-year term, according to Reuters.

Serdar Berdymukhamedov is commonly referred to by local media as "the son of the nation," while his 64-year-old father - who intends to stay on as the Speaker of the upper house - is known as Arkadag, or Protector.

The gas-rich nation of six million has borders with Iran and Afghanistan in the south.