Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, the authoritarian president of gas-rich Turkmenistan, has secured a third term in office by winning 97.69 percent of the vote in the February 12 election, according to the Central Election Commission.

The election commission announced the result on February 13, a day after an election whose outcome seemed certain in advance because of Berdymukhammedov's domination of the Central Asian country and the tightly controlled campaign.

The commission put the turnout at more than 97 percent of eligible voters. But RFE/RL correspondents saw only a trickle of voters at several polling stations in the capital, Ashgabat.

The election hands Berdymukhammedov, 59, a new seven-year term.

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Berdymukhammedov on his reelection.

In a telegram sent to his Turkmen counterpart, Putin praised Berdymukhammedov's contribution to the friendly ties between Russia and Turkmenistan, Russian news agencies quoted the Kremlin as saying.

Members of the Russian parliament's upper chamber, the Federation Council, who were in Turkmenistan as observers of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), claimed that the poll was free and well-organized.

The CIS observers usually give the seal of approval to elections held across the former Soviet Union that are criticized by observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

The OSCE sent a limited observation mission to review the country’s election laws and their implementation -- the first time the organization has ever sent monitors to a presidential election in Turkmenistan. Its assessment of the poll has not been made public yet.

Berdymukhammedov maintains strict control over all aspects of society and was all but guaranteed to defeat the other eight candidates, who were widely seen as window dressing for the vote.

RFE/RL's Turkmen Service reported that, two days before the actual vote, students at a school in Ashgabat were tasked with filling in ballots in favor of the country's president.

"These ballots are to be put in ballot boxes for the people who will not show up," a source at the school located on the capital's Kemine Street told RFE/RL.

In power since 2006, Berdymukhammedov ran against little-known regional government officials, lawmakers, and heads of companies on a ballot that includes candidates from more than one party for the first time.

The changes came after Berdymukhammedov said last year that there would be "alternatives" in the 2017 election.

But no parliamentary or presidential election held in Turkmenistan has been deemed free or fair by international monitors since the country gained independence in the 1991 Soviet collapse. According to official results, Berdymukhammedov won 89 percent of the vote in 2006 and 97 percent in 2012.

Berdymukhammedov cast his vote at a school in Ashgabat, accompanied by family members including his son, who was elected to parliament last year.

"If I am elected, then our policies aimed at improving the welfare of the people will continue," he told reporters.

No Real Opposition

Observers say the presence of unknown candidates and state-created parties in this election was unlikely to make a difference in a country where all media outlets are controlled by the state.

"Every election in the past 25 years has been rigged and there is no real opposition in the country -- the society is oppressed and independent media is practically nonexistent," says Michal Romanowski, an expert on Eurasia at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

State media gave little coverage to the other eight candidates' election campaigns, occasionally showing brief clips of meetings with voters.

Berdymukhammedov, on the other hand, enjoyed blanket media coverage in frequent appearances in cities and towns across the sprawling, sparsely populated nation of 5.3 million.

A dentist-turned-politician, Berdymukhammedov came to power after the death of the eccentric Saparmurat Niyazov, who was known for his extensive personality cult and brutal crackdowns on dissent.

Mild Reforms

Berdymukhammedov introduced some mild reforms early in his presidency, such as reintroducing foreign languages to the school curriculum and reopening village hospitals closed down by Niyazov.



But critics lament that the country still has no real opposition parties and that political dissenters are routinely imprisoned or placed in psychiatric hospitals.



Observers also say Berdymukhammedov has also begun building his own personality cult, like Niyazov, who called himself Turkmenbashi, or Father of All Turkmen.



Calling himself Arkadag, the Protector, Berdymukhammedov had a 21-meter marble and gold-leaf statue of himself on horseback, holding a dove, erected in Ashgabat in 2015.

WATCH: Vote-Buying In Turkmenistan?

The election comes as Turkmenistan’s economy struggles following a steep decline in global energy prices and a severe drop in exports.



Many state salaries are not being paid on time and the country also faces a deficit of staples such as cooking oil, flour, and sugar, as well as medicine, leading to price hikes in bazaars.



Photographs from Ashgabat and other cities showed long lines at government-owned grocery shops ahead of New Year celebrations.



During the election campaign, the government ordered private traders in bazaars to lower food prices, according to merchants and consumers.

Turkmenistan has huge reserves of natural gas, the third largest in the world, providing the government with huge revenues and mitigating criticism from Western governments seeking new sources of energy supplies.

International rights organizations continue to criticize the Turkmen government for failure to respect human rights or make any attempt at democratic reforms.

With reporting by Farangis Najibullah and Pete Baumgartner in Prague, Interfax, TASS, and AFP</s>FILE In this Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015 file photo, Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov smiles as he attends an international conference in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. The authoritarian president of Turkmenistan is set to sail to victory in Sunday's election where eight other candidates are on the ballot, but all praise his polices.

Start the conversation, or Read more at The Progress.</s>ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (AP) — The authoritarian president of Turkmenistan is set to sail to victory in Sunday's election where eight other candidates are on the ballot, but all praise his polices.

President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has been the overwhelmingly dominant figure in the former Soviet republic since late 2006, when he assumed power after death of his eccentric predecessor, Saparmurat Niyazov.

Berdymukhamedov has made small reforms of the single-party system imposed by Niyazov and some aspects of the latter's cult of personality, which included naming the months of the year after his family members and mandating all schoolchildren read his book of philosophical musings.

FILE In this Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015 file photo, Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov smiles as he attends an international conference in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. The authoritarian president of Turkmenistan is set to sail to victory in Sunday's election where eight other candidates are on the ballot, but all praise his polices. Berdymukhamedov has been the overwhelmingly dominant figure in the former Soviet republic for a decade, when he assumed power after death of his eccentric predecessor Saparmurat Niyazov. (Kayhan Ozer, Presidential Press Service Pool via AP, file)

Some of Niyazov's more notoriously odd initiatives, such as banning opera and gold teeth, also were rolled back. Notably, Berdymukhamedov expanded public access to the internet and increased compulsory education from nine years to 12.

Under Berdymukhamedov, a law was adopted to allow non-government parties, although these parties are strictly vetted. The candidates nominally competing with Berdymukhamedov have been allowed to meet with voters in theaters and cultural centers, but the encounters were not televised and no debates were held.

The country last year amended the constitution to extend the presidential term to seven years from five, and eliminated the age limit of 70, effectively allowing Berdymukhamedov to be president for life.

Meanwhile, Berdymukhamedov has established a considerable personality cult of his own.

He is regularly shown on state media successfully acquitting himself in a wide array of physical and competitive disciplines, such as horse-riding, racing cars, cycling, sailing and lifting weights. More recently, the president has taken up music with gusto, on occasion regaling wildly applauding crowds with performances on the guitar and piano.

State television reported on how during a pre-election visit to a gas refinery last month, Berdymukhamedov watched as workers serenaded him on a severely out-of-tune guitar. Later, the president was shown strumming the same guitar — now properly tuned — and performing a song of his own composition as workers clapped along.

Authorities in Turkmenistan have secured quiescence among the country's 5 million people through a combination of authoritarianism and generous welfare subsidies, like free household gas and salt. But the state's ability to dispense that largesse has come under intense strain as the price for natural gas — Turkmenistan's only significant export commodity — has plummeted.

Until a few years ago, Turkmenistan could count on selling gas to China, Russia and Iran. Russia and Iran have recently stopped buying the fuel, however, following pricing disputes. Turkmenistan is placing strong hopes on an ambitious plan to build a gas pipeline serving Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, but construction so far is underway only in Turkmenistan.

The economic crisis triggered by the collapse in gas revenue has led to devaluation of the national currency, the manat, and shortages for many staples including cooking oil and sugar. Because of the intense secrecy which the government imposes on economic data, there are few ways of being certain about the depth of the problem.

Although tight visa procedures make it difficult for outsiders to visit, Turkmenistan has built an elaborate resort complex on the Caspian Sea. Gas revenues spurred a spectacular construction boom in the capital Ashgabat, turning swaths of the city into gleaming white marble residential towers flanking wide, lightly trafficked thoroughfares.

Jim Heintz in Moscow contributed to this story.</s>Turkmenistan leader certain to win third term in vote

ASHGABAT, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Turkmen leader Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov is certain to secure a third term in office in Sunday's presidential election, maintaining his grip on power in the isolated gas-rich nation.

Berdymukhamedov, 59, has run the former Soviet republic of five million people with an iron fist for a decade after succeeding equally autocratic president-for-life Saparmurat Niyazov who died in 2006.

Berdymukhamedov, a dentist by training, has kept in place Niyazov's repressive political system which tolerates no political opposition or public expressions of discontent, while refocusing his predecessor's elaborate personality cult on himself.

While Niyazov was known as Turkmenbashi, the head of all Turkmen, Berdymukhamedov is often referred to as Arkadag, the protector. Gilded statues of both leaders have been erected in Ashgabat, the capital city.

Berdymukhamedov cast his ballot at a downtown polling station after arriving with his family, including his son Serdar who last year became a member of parliament after winning a by-election.

"Turkmenistan's goal is joining the ranks of the industrially developed nations," Berdymukhamedov told reporters, adding that all candidates had had equal opportunities in the election campaign.

Running against Berdymukhamedov are eight other candidates, all of them public servants, managers of state-owned companies or nominees of political parties completely loyal to the government. In the previous election in 2012, Berdymukhamedov won 97 percent of the vote.

Turkmenistan has no election threshold, but by 1100 local time (0600 GMT), 51.45 percent of voters had already cast their ballots, the Central Election Commission said.

Last year, Turkmenistan amended its constitution in a way that could allow Berdymukhamedov to stay in power indefinitely, removing the 70-year age limit for presidential candidates and extending the presidential term to seven years from five.

This consolidation of power has been taking place against a background of slowing economic growth and shortages of foreign currency due to Russia's decision to halt imports of Turkmen gas, Ashgabat's main source of export revenue.

Moscow had long been the main buyer of Turkmen gas and sales to China, although significant, have not completely offset the loss of Russian money flows.

Faced with budget deficits after years of surpluses, the authorities are considering scaling down a generous welfare system which includes free gasoline rations.

Amid the gas row, Turkmenistan has also flatly rejected the idea of Russia providing military assistance to the Central Asian nations in the light of escalating violence in neighbouring Afghanistan; it has also vehemently denied claims of violent incidents at the Afghan border. (Reporting by Marat Gurt; Additional reporting and writing by Olzhas Auyezov in Almaty; Editing by Clelia Oziel and Susan Fenton)</s>Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, center, greets journalists after casting his ballot at a polling station in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017. Berdymukhamedov has been the overwhelmingly dominant figure in the former Soviet republic for a decade, when he assumed power after death of his eccentric predecessor Saparmurat Niyazov. (AP Photo/Alexander Vershinin)

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (AP) — Turkmenistan's incumbent president has won re-election in a widely anticipated landslide victory, election authorities said on Monday.

Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov garnered nearly 97.7 percent of the vote in the gas-rich Central Asian nation, Election Commission chairman Gulmurat Muradov told reporters. Muradov said the results from Sunday's election are preliminary and that election authorities still have to count ballots cast in Turkmenistan's embassies abroad.

The commission said turnout exceeded 97 percent of the electorate for the election, the first to feature candidates from non-government parties on the central Asian country's ballot.

The eight other candidates in the race had all expressed support for Berdymukhamedov's government, however.

Authorities in Turkmenistan have secured acceptance among the country's 5 million people through a combination of authoritarianism and generous welfare subsidies, such as free household gas and salt.

Berdymukhamedov has been the overwhelmingly dominant figure in the former Soviet republic since late 2006, when he assumed power after the death of his eccentric predecessor, Saparmurat Niyazov.

The country last year amended the constitution to extend the presidential term to seven years from five, and eliminated the age limit of 70, effectively allowing Berdymukhamedov to be president for life.

Under Berdymukhamedov, a law was adopted to allow non-government parties, although such parties are strictly vetted. The candidates nominally competing with Berdymukhamedov were allowed to meet with voters in theaters and cultural centers, but the encounters were not televised and no debates were held.</s>ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (AP) — Turkmenistan’s Central Election Commission says the incumbent leader has won the presidential election.

Commission chairman Gulmurat Muradov told reporters on Monday that Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov won 97.7 percent of the vote in the gas-rich Central Asian nation. Muradov said the results from Sunday’s election are preliminary and that election authorities still have to count ballots cast in Turkmenistan’s embassies abroad.

Berdymukhamedov has been the overwhelmingly dominant figure in the former Soviet republic since late 2006, when he assumed power after the death of his eccentric predecessor, Saparmurat Niyazov.

The country last year amended the constitution to extend the presidential term to seven years from five, and eliminated the age limit of 70, effectively allowing Berdymukhamedov to be president for life.</s>Turkmenistan is holding a presidential election on February 12. Incumbent Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov is seeking to be elected president for the third time, and there is every reason to believe he will succeed.

While the result seems guaranteed, the reasons for holding the election are not as immediately obvious. But there are reasons.

RFE/RL assembled a Majlis, or panel, to discuss Turkmenistan’s presidential election: Who the competitors are, how the so-called campaign has progressed, and most importantly, what is at stake for Berdymukhammedov and what, if anything, can we expect from him after he wins a third term in office.

Moderating the podcast was RFE/RL Media Relations Manager Muhammad Tahir. From Washington, Victoria Clement, a senior fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center, who lived in Turkmenistan and is writing a book on the country, joined the Majlis. Our friend Dr. Luca Anceschi, lecturer in Central Asian studies at Glasgow University in Scotland and author of the book Turkmenistan’s Foreign Policy: Positive Neutrality And The Consolidation Of The Turkmen Regime, participated. From Prague, Farruh Yusupov, the director of RFE/RL’s Turkmen Service, known locally as Azatlyk, took part. I had to have my say on this topic, also.

There are a few new things about this presidential election. Berdymukhammedov faced five competitors when he was first elected in 2007, seven in 2012, and this time is running against eight opponents. For the first time, two political parties -- the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs and the Agrarian Party -- are participating, though both parties were created precisely so Turkmenistan’s government could claim it was a multiparty race. And this time the candidates are running for a seven-year term, not five years, as was previously the case.

As Yusupov explained, not much is known about Berdymukhammedov’s challengers.

"We do see limited footage of the other candidates, but without their voices, only the [news] presenter saying that this candidate met with people in this district of this region, and they only show them for a few seconds," he said.

Yusupov added, "The election campaign itself was not obvious until three of four weeks ago, almost nothing was published in official media..."

Yusupov said that in contrast, "State TV is…showing President Berdymukhammedov running around the country meeting with voters, with different groups of people, giving out gifts, and people saying, not only [they] but their friends and families, 'We will vote for you.'"

Clement said, "This is all heavily scripted and the people who participate in the meetings with the candidates are hand-selected by the government, but I think part of the reason the government bothers to do this is so that it can have a veneer of support. It wants to be able to claim a popular mandate."

No one outside of Turkmenistan seems fooled by this "heavily scripted" election campaign. Human Rights Watch (HRW) just published a statement about Turkmenistan’s presidential election, in which it said the country's "appalling human rights record undermines the possibility of a free and fair presidential election."

Probably very few inside Turkmenistan are fooled, either. Anceschi spoke for many when he said, "I can no longer make sense of why they keep [holding presidential elections]."

Speaking about Berdymukhammedov’s second term in office, the one just coming to an end, Anceschi pointed out this sudden interest Berdymukhammedov has in campaigning, in happily meeting voters, and ini making great promises about the future, seems a bit ridiculous.

"You cannot have five years of extreme authoritarianism and then have a couple of weeks of democracy," Anceschi said. "It doesn’t work like that."

So what is driving Berdymukhammedov and state media’s newfound enthusiasm for this weekend's presidential election?

The answer is the dire economic situation into which Turkmenistan has plummeted in the last two years.

Not even in the early days of independence was Turkmenistan’s economy in as bad a shape as it is today, and though it is impossible to get any sort of accurate poll as to the popularity of Berdymukhammedov, it is surely lower than it was just a few years ago.

The panelists agreed that external factors have caused many of the problems Turkmenistan faces today. Natural gas is Turkmenistan’s major export, and the price of gas is half what it was just a few years ago. There are security problems along Turkmenistan’s border with Afghanistan, something else for which Berdymukhammedov and his government cannot be blamed.

At the start of this year, Turkmenistan lost the second of what were once three gas customers when Turkmen authorities demanded back payments from Iran and cut off gas supplies to that southern neighbor, almost exactly one year after Russia’s Gazprom said it was canceling its contract for Turkmen gas. Turkmenistan’s only customer now is China, a country that has loaned Turkmenistan billions of dollars to develop its gas industry and now expects some of the Turkmen gas it is receiving in repayment for those loans.

Anceschi said the Turkmen government does bear responsibility for failing to act in the face of all the negative economic indicators.

"The economy has been unchanged and this is no longer sustainable," Anceschi explained, adding, "There will have to be a point at which someone in Ashgabat starts telling the president that change needs to come, otherwise the whole house just falls."

But with no solutions in sight, the Turkmen people have instead been treated to state television covering events such as "Berdymukhammedov...driving around in his pickup truck, driving to the shepherds in Akhal region [to campaign]," Yusupov noted.

Clement said the campaign and the election are not a complete waste of time.

"I do think that it’s worth pointing out that the election process in and of itself is an important stage in a country’s path, and if they’re to progress in any way, this kind of activity needs to be normalized," she said, sounding a possibly optimistic note for the future.

Listen to this week's Majlis podcast to hear more about these issues in greater detail and to explore other aspects of Turkmenistan’s 2017 presidential election, the reasons for it, and what might come next.

Listen to or download the Majlis podcast above or subscribe to the Majlis on iTunes.</s>ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (AP) — Turkmenistan's Central Election Commission says the incumbent leader has won the presidential election.

Commission chairman Gulmurat Muradov told reporters on Monday that Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov won 97.7 percent of the vote in the gas-rich Central Asian nation. Muradov said the results from Sunday's election are preliminary and that election authorities still have to count ballots cast in Turkmenistan's embassies abroad.

Berdymukhamedov has been the overwhelmingly dominant figure in the former Soviet republic since late 2006, when he assumed power after the death of his eccentric predecessor, Saparmurat Niyazov.

Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, center, greets journalists after casting his ballot at a polling station in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017. Berdymukhamedov has been the overwhelmingly dominant figure in the former Soviet republic for a decade, when he assumed power after death of his eccentric predecessor Saparmurat Niyazov. (AP Photo/Alexander Vershinin)

The country last year amended the constitution to extend the presidential term to seven years from five, and eliminated the age limit of 70, effectively allowing Berdymukhamedov to be president for life.

A Turkmen woman dressed in traditional costume casts her ballot at a polling station in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017. Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has been the overwhelmingly dominant figure in the former Soviet republic for a decade, when he assumed power after death of his eccentric predecessor Saparmurat Niyazov. (AP Photo/Alexander Vershinin)

A Turkmen woman dressed in traditional costume casts her ballot at a polling station in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017. Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has been the overwhelmingly dominant figure in the former Soviet republic for a decade, when he assumed power after death of his eccentric predecessor Saparmurat Niyazov. (AP Photo/Alexander Vershinin)

Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov speaks to journalists after casting his ballot at a polling station in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017. Berdymukhamedov has been the overwhelmingly dominant figure in the former Soviet republic for a decade, when he assumed power after death of his eccentric predecessor Saparmurat Niyazov. (AP Photo/Alexander Vershinin)</s>Turkmenistan leader certain to win third term in vote

ASHGABAT, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Turkmen leader Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov is certain to secure a third term in office in Sunday's presidential election, maintaining his grip on power in the isolated gas-rich nation.

Berdymukhamedov, 59, has run the former Soviet republic of five million people with an iron fist for a decade after succeeding equally autocratic president-for-life Saparmurat Niyazov who died in 2006.

Berdymukhamedov, a dentist by training, has kept in place Niyazov's repressive political system which tolerates no political opposition or public expressions of discontent, while refocusing his predecessor's elaborate personality cult on himself.

While Niyazov was known as Turkmenbashi, the head of all Turkmen, Berdymukhamedov is often referred to as Arkadag, the protector. Gilded statues of both leaders have been erected in Ashgabat, the capital city.

Running against Berdymukhamedov are eight other candidates, all of them either public servants, managers of state-owned companies or nominees of political parties completely loyal to the government. In the previous election in 2012, Berdymukhamedov won 97 percent of the vote.

Last year, Turkmenistan amended its constitution in a way that could allow Berdymukhamedov to stay in power indefinitely, removing the 70-year age limit for presidential candidates and extending the presidential term to seven years from five.

Also last year, Serdar Berdymukhamedov, the president's only son who has previously kept a low public profile, became a member of parliament after winning a by-election.

This consolidation of power has been taking place against a background of slowing economic growth and shortages of foreign currency due to Russia's decision to halt imports of Turkmen gas, Ashgabat's main source of export revenue.

Moscow had long been the main buyer of Turkmen gas and sales to China, although significant, have not completely offset the loss of Russian money flows.

Faced with budget deficits after years of surpluses, the authorities are considering scaling down a generous welfare system which includes free gasoline rations.

Amid the gas row, Turkmenistan has also flatly rejected the idea of Russia providing military assistance to the Central Asian nations in the light of escalating violence in neighbouring Afghanistan; it has also vehemently denied claims of violent incidents at the Afghan border.</s>Alwaght- Turkmenistan presidential elections ended with a highly anticipated victory for the seating president Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov on Monday.

The current president of the country, who was the most well-known candidate in the elections, won the presidency for his third term in office.

Berdymukhamedov has won 97.69 percent of the vote with a turnout of 97.27 percent, the Central Election Commission said.

Berdymukhamedov, 59, has run the former Soviet republic of five million people with an iron fist for a decade after succeeding equally autocratic president-for-life Saparmurat Niyazov, who died in 2006.

Eight other candidates ran in the Sunday vote, all of them public servants, managers of state-owned companies or nominees of political parties completely loyal to the government.

Last year, Turkmenistan amended its constitution in a way that could allow Berdymukhamedov to stay in power indefinitely, removing the 70-year age limit for presidential candidates and extending the presidential term to seven years from five.
Voters in Turkmenistan go to the polls for an election, with current president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow expected to win another term.