ASHGABAT -- Turkmenistan held a snap presidential election on March 12 that is widely viewed as a formality to transfer political power from autocratic incumbent Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov to his son, Serdar.
The Central Election Commission claimed shortly after polls closed that more than 97 percent of the nation's roughly 3.4 million registered voters had cast ballots at some 2,600 polling stations.
Along with Serdar Berdymukhammedov, 40, there were eight other candidates on the ballot. All are known for being loyal to the president and were not considered real competitors.
The election came after the 64-year-old incumbent told the upper chamber of parliament on February 11 that he intended to step aside to allow power to be turned over to “young leaders.”
SEE ALSO: Turkmenistan's President-In-Waiting: Who Is Serdar Berdymukhammedov?Most observers saw that as an indication that he was preparing to hand the presidency to his son, who in September turned 40 -- the minimum age required under the constitution to be president.
The following day, the rubber-stamp parliament set the date for an early presidential vote. On February 15, Serdar Berdymukhammedov was officially registered as a candidate representing the ruling Democratic Party of Turkmenistan.
Since the country became independent in 1991, no election in Turkmenistan has been deemed free and fair by right groups and Western election monitors.
Heir Apparent
Serdar Berdymukhammedov has risen rapidly in recent years through a series of increasingly prominent government posts -- including deputy foreign minister, the governor of Ahal Province, and industry minister -- before becoming deputy head of the cabinet in 2021.
The latter is an important post in Turkmenistan, since there is no prime minister and the president also serves as the head of government.
SEE ALSO: 'Expect No Change': Turkmen Voters React To Berdymukhammedov's 'Serdar Election'Many experts and ordinary Turkmen say they don’t believe Berdymukhammedov would significantly change his authoritarian father’s policies or do something to improve people’s lives in the gas-rich but impoverished country.
Under Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov -- who came to power in late 2006 -- people’s living standards have plummeted despite the country sitting on the world's fourth-largest reserves of natural gas.
The country is plagued by corruption, food shortages, skyrocketing inflation, and stubbornly high unemployment.
There is no political opposition in Turkmenistan, the media is controlled by the state, and the government doesn’t tolerate dissent or free speech.
The extremely secretive state also claims it has not had a single coronavirus infection in the country. But medics and others privately said Turkmenistan saw several waves of infection that left the hospitals overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients and killed many people.
Little Choice, Little Interest
In recent days, local officials and other public-sector workers have been going door-to-door distributing election invitations to voters.
“Those who distribute the papers also told each voter that they must vote for Serdar Berdymukhammedov,” an Ashgabat resident told RFE/RL on condition of anonymity.
To ensure high turnout, authorities have demanded state workers “come to vote and also bring relatives” or face losing their jobs, he added.
RFE/RL correspondents in Turkmenistan report little interest or enthusiasm for the election among Turkmen.
Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov
“For them, it’s a foregone conclusion,” another Ashgabat resident said. “People’s main priority is how to put food on the table. People are also reluctant to discuss the election or other political topics, because they fear for their own safety.”
Four exiled opposition activists and politicians -- Ahmet Rahmanov, Murat Gurbanov, Geldy Kyarizov, and Nurmuhammet Annaev -- said they planned to take part in the presidential election, but it was unclear how they would be able to run since they are not allowed to return to Turkmenistan.
Turkmenistan has also barred its citizens living abroad from voting in the election.
The Central Election Commission (CEC) said the eight other official candidates in the election included Babamurat Meredov, nominated by the Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan; and Agajan Bekmuradov, nominated by the Agrarian party. Both parties are loyal to the president.
The remaining six candidates were named by so-called initiative groups. Little is known about them or their election programs.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said it has not sent any observers to the election.
The CEC said there would be a few dozen observers from the Beijing-led Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.