ASHGABAT -- Election officials in the tightly controlled Central Asian nation of Turkmenistan have announced that the registration of candidates for an early presidential election on March 12 has ended and that nine candidates, including the son of authoritarian President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, Serdar, were officially set to take part.
On February 11, Berdymukhammedov, 64, indicated at an extraordinary meeting of the upper chamber of parliament that he intends to step aside to allow power to be turned over to “young leaders.”
Most observers saw that as an indication that he is preparing to hand the reins of the country to his son, who in September turned 40 -- the minimum age required to become president under the country's constitution.
Serdar Berdymukhammedov was officially registered last week as a presidential candidate representing the ruling Democratic Party of Turkmenistan following the opening of the nomination process for the country's three registered political parties. He is expected to easily win the election as all other candidates are known for being loyal to his father.
SEE ALSO: 'Expect No Change': Turkmen Voters React To Berdymukhammedov's 'Serdar Election'Besides the ruling Democratic Party, Turkmenistan has two more registered political parties, both controlled by Berdymukhammedov, who has been in power since 2007 when he replaced the late autocratic ruler Saparmurat Niyazov.
The Central Commission for Holding Elections and Referendums said on February 22 that the other eight candidates are Babamurat Meredov, nominated by the Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan, Agajan Bekmuradov, nominated by the Agrarian Party of Turkmenistan, and six other candidates nominated by initiative groups -- Maksatmurat Ovezgeldyev, Kakageldy Saryev, Berdymammet Gurbanov, Perhat Begenjov, Maksat Odeshov, and Hydyr Nunnaev.
Serdar Berdymukhammedov has been visiting the energy-rich nation's regions this week, and RFE/RL correspondents report that security measures have been beefed up, while the streets on the route of his visit have been paved and reconstructed, with new trees being planted along the way.
Four exiled opposition activists and politicians -- Ahmet Rahmanov, Murat Gurbanov, Geldy Kyarizov, and Nurmuhammet Annaev -- have said they plan to take part in the presidential election, but it remains unclear how they would be able to run since they are not allowed to return to Turkmenistan.
According to rights groups and election monitors, Turkmenistan has never held free and fair elections since becoming an independent state following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.