Party nominates Turkmen president for third term as candidate in February election
Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has been nominated for a third term as a candidate in the next year election, which he is widely expected to win.
State news agency Turkmenistan Today said Thursday that Berdymukhamedov's Democratic Party nominated him as a candidate in the February 2017 presidential election in the gas-rich country.
Report said two other major parties in Turkmenistan, namely the Agrarian Party and the Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, will nominate their candidates later this month.
Berdymukhamedov has been in power since 2006, when Turkmenistan’s long-time president Saparmurat Niyazov died.
Berdymukhamedov enjoys a good deal of popularity among the Turkmens, who say the president, commonly known as Arkadag (protector), is overseeing an "era of might and happiness" following the "Golden Age" of Niyazov, who was referred to as Turkmenbashi (leader of Turkmens).
An amendment to Turkmenistan’s constitution in September allowed Berdymukhamedov to seek an indefinite number of terms in office. He gained 97 percent of the vote in the 2012 presidential election in the former Soviet republic.
Berdymukhamedov’s son was elected last month as a member of parliament in Turkmenistan, prompting many to speculate that the 59-year-old is seeking to consolidate power in his inner circle.
Ambassador: Japan studying recognition of State of Palestine
Indonesia urges UNSC to take 'decisive action' against Israeli regime
Ex-Netanyahu advisor to appear in court over Gaza genocide comments
Iran relies on natural gas for nearly 90% of its power production: Expert
US embassy in Beirut blocks Iraq-Lebanon humanitarian air bridge
VIDEO | UK's Starmer targets journalists
Israel plans to displace Palestinians in occupied West Bank: Hamas
Iranian airlines ramp up Istanbul route flights after EU sanctions
British protesters slam UK’s complicity in Gaza genocide on Balfour day
US surgeon haunted by Gaza children with ‘single gunshot wounds to head’
VIDEO | Iran's possible retaliation against Israel
PressTV NEWSLETTER
now
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
