Turkmenistan votes for new, opposition-free parliament
Voters in Turkmenistan have cast ballots for a new parliament that's expected to be opposition-free and loyal to the government of the gas-rich Central Asian nation
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (AP) — Voters in Turkmenistan cast ballots Sunday for a new parliament that is expected to have no members of opposition parties and be loyal to the government of the gas-rich Central Asian nation.
The election for 125 members included 258 candidates, put forward by three political parties or running independently. All of them support President Serdar 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 pervasive personality cult similar to that of his predecessor. Under his rule, Turkmenistan has remained difficult for outsiders to enter. It has also struggled to diversify its economy, which is overwhelmingly dependent on its vast natural gas reserves.
