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Voters in Turkmenistan headed to the polls on Sunday for a new parliament expected to be opposition-free and loyal to the government of the gas-rich Central Asian country. A total of 2,602 polling stations in Turkmenistan, with a capacity for about 3.5 million registered voters, were open at 7am (0200GMT), with 42 polling stations in embassies abroad.
Voters will select 125 MPs from among 258 candidates put forward by the three political parties or contested independently. They all support President Berdymukhamedov. Berdymukhamedov, 41, was elected last March to succeed his father, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, who had run the isolated ex-Soviet country for more than a decade.
Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov came to power after the death of the eccentric Saparmurat Niyazov in 2006 and established a universal cult of personality. Under his rule, Turkmenistan has been difficult for outsiders to enter. It has also been trying to diversify its economy, which relies heavily on its vast natural gas reserves.
Berdymukhamedov projected a fit and muscular image through media stunts that included shooting a man-sized target with a pistol while riding a bicycle and lifting a gold weightlifting bar to applause from his cabinet. He holds the title of “Arkadag,” or protector, and stepped down last year in favor of his son.
Earlier this year, Serdar Berdymukhamedov appointed his father as chairman of the country’s top representative body, the Halk Maslahaty, or People’s Council. The People’s Council has the power to amend the country’s constitution and determine the main lines of domestic and foreign policy, giving Gurbangul Berdymukhamedov, 65, powerful leverage to shape the course of the country. State media quoted President Berdymukhamedov as saying Sunday’s vote would mark “a new phase of democratic change” in Turkmenistan. However, elections in post-Soviet Turkmenistan were not considered truly contested.
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