Presidential election on March 12 as Turkmenistan’s leader steps down

dpa Moscow Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov announced on Saturday that he is stepping down from his rule of the isolated and authoritarian ex-S...

dpaMoscowTurkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov announced on Saturday that he is stepping down from his rule of the isolated and authoritarian ex-Soviet republic.The 64-year-old announced that, after 15 years, he wanted to hand over the office to younger hands, state media reported.The electoral commission scheduled the early election for the highest state office for March 12.The president, known for his personality cult, had already made his son, Serdar Berdymukhamedov, deputy head of government a year ago. He told him to take care of modernising the state system and improving governance.  The 40-year-old is being considered as a successor for the post of head of state. He would also be responsible for the digitalization of the oil and gas-rich country.The elder Berdymukhamedov has so far fulfilled a variety of functions, including that of head of government and chairperson of the National Security Council.As president, he has now taken the “not easy decision” to hand over the country to a “young leader.” Berdymukhamedov did not say who he had in mind, but said he wants to continue to use his political experience as chairperson of the People’s Council, which is in the upper house of the Turkmen parliament.Berdymukhamedov faces criticism from Turkmens in exile for, among other things, persecuting dissidents and for his costly personality cult.For example, he had a 21-metre-high, gold-plated equestrian statue called The Protector made of marble and bronze erected. Elections in the country are not considered fair and free.Berdymukhamedov was last confirmed in office in 2017 with 97.69 per cent of the vote. His seven-year term would regularly end in 2027.The country on the Caspian Sea has around 6 million inhabitants and is considered by human rights activists to be one of the worst dictatorships on Earth. Turkmenistan is isolated to almost the same degree as North Korea.