The victory of 40-year-old Serdar Berdymukhamedov was widely expected when his father elevated him to the number 2 position in the country as deputy prime minister, clearly indicating that he was the designated successor.
There are no strong political opposition groups in the gas-rich desert nation of 6 million that borders Iran and Afghanistan to the south.
Eight other candidates ran in the election, some of them largely unknown low-level public servants. Under the Constitution of Turkmenistan, the President is elected for a seven-year term.
Serdar Berdymukhamedov is commonly referred to by local media as the “son of the nation”, while his 64-year-old father – who intends to remain as Speaker of the Upper House – is known as Arkadag or Protector. goes.