ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (AP) — The son of the former authoritarian president of Turkmenistan was sworn in Saturday as the new ruler of the Central Asian country, a week after an election that the central election commission said he won with 73% of the vote.
Serdar Berdymukhamedov, 40, faced eight other nominal contenders, all of whom praised his father, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, who assumed the presidency in 2006 and established a dominant cult of personality.
Berdymukhamedov Sr. announced his resignation last month and Serdar, who had been appointed to increasingly powerful positions in government, most recently deputy chief of cabinet, was seen as his sure successor.
Turkmenistan, a nation of 6 million inhabitants on the shores of the Caspian Sea, is difficult for foreigners to access. He has not reported a single case of infection with the coronavirus during the pandemic, a situation questioned by medical experts. It has also found it difficult to diversify its economy, which depends heavily on its vast reserves of natural gas.
But the new president said during his inauguration. “We are open to all countries and people in the world and seek to develop commercial, cultural, economic, humanitarian, scientific and educational ties with them in the future.”