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1 1 (March 29, 2022)

handle is hein.crs/govefmx0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional SResearch Service Presidential Succession in Turkmenistan: Issues for Congress March 29, 2022 Overview Turkmenistan, an authoritarian country rich in hydrocarbons that borders Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and the Caspian Sea, held a snap presidential election on March 12, 2022. Serdar Berdimuhamedov, son of incumbent President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, won with a reported 73% of the vote and was inaugurated on March 19. Analysts had long speculated that Serdar was being positioned by his father to succeed to the presidency. The younger Berdimuhamedov was elected to parliament in 2016 and went on to hold a number of increasingly senior government positions. In September 2021 he turned 40, the minimum age for presidential candidates. Despite rumors about Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov's health, analysts were surprised by the timing of the election. Some speculate that it may have been motivated by January unrest in neighboring Kazakhstan, while others emphasize that it was the culmination of a long-term process rather than a knee-jerk reaction. According to longtime observers, it is difficult to describe what is occurring as a transition in any real sense. Some analysts interpret the fact that Serdar won with 73% of the vote, as compared to his father's electoral victories of 89% in 2007 and over 97% in 2012 and 2017, as evidently intended for Serdar not to eclipse Gurbanguly. The elder Berdimuhamedov remains chair of the upper house of parliament, although it is unclear how active he will be politically. Some speculate that the entrenchment of both father and son within Turkmenistan's power structures may be a source of political instability. The country's Central Election Commissions claimed voter turnout exceeded 97%. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) did not send an election observation mission, citing Turkmenistan's failure to address previous OSCE recommendations-particularly those related to political pluralism and fundamental human rights-in addition to time constraints related to Turkmenistan's pandemic mitigation measures. No election in Turkmenistan has been deemed free and fair by OSCE observers since the country became independent in 1991. The elder Berdimuhamedov, 64, assumed power after the 2006 death of Turkmenistan's first president. Like his predecessor, Berdimuhamedov created a cult of personality around himself, isolated the country, and suppressed dissent, reportedly embezzling billions of dollars in state revenues. Although his current Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN11904 CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress

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