Son takes reins from father as Turkmenistan's new president
Serdar Berdymukhamedov, 40, said at his inauguration that his country aims to develop new trade, economic, cultural, humanitarian, scientific and educational ties.
Serdar, who held prominent government posts, was seen as his father Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov's certain successor.
The son of Turkmenistan's former president has been inaugurated as the new leader of the Central Asian country.
Serdar Berdymukhamedov, 40, took the oath of office on Saturday, a week after an election in which the central elections commission said he won 73 percent of the vote.
He said at his inauguration that “we are open to all countries and peoples of the world and aim to develop trade, economic, cultural, humanitarian, scientific and educational ties with them in the future”.
He had faced eight other nominal contenders in the elections, all of whom praised his father, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, who became president in 2006 and established a cult of personality.
Certain successor
The elder Berdymukhamedov announced his resignation last month.
Serdar, who had been named to increasingly prominent government posts, most recently the Cabinet's deputy chairman, was seen as his certain successor.
Turkmenistan, a gas-rich nation of six million on the Caspian Sea, has long been difficult for outsiders to enter.
It has not reported a single case of infection in the coronavirus pandemic, a situation questioned by medical experts.
It also has struggled to diversify its economy, which is overwhelmingly dependent on vast natural gas reserves.
READ MORE: Will Turkmenistan’s gamble to hand leadership from father to son pay off?
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