Turkmenistan leader sworn in after crushing electoral victory

ASHGABAT

AFP photo

Turkmenistan’s strongman Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov was sworn in Feb. 17 in a grand ceremony after securing over 97 percent of an almost uncontested vote at the weekend.

Berdymukhamedov, 59, kissed the state flag three times and stood on a white sheep wool carpet symbolizing a “bright path and kind deeds.” The ceremony was attended by around 2,500 people.

Central Election Commission chair Gulmyrat Myradov said the inauguration would be “written in golden letters in the history of Turkmenistan,” a Central Asian country that gained independence from Moscow in 1991.  

“The presidential election showed the solidarity of the people and confirmed the will of the people, that our people are committed to democracy, unity and cohesion,” said Myradov at the ceremony.  

Berdymukhamedov said his inauguration for a third consecutive term as the country’s leader marked “a new era of presidential rule.” 

“Even grander, more elevated and more responsible tasks stand ahead,” he said, noting that the present cabinet would be replaced by “a new team” in a month.   

His words were greeted by chants of “Glory to the protector!” which is how the state media refers to Berdymukhamedov.

The president promised to create a human rights ombudsman in a country where abuses are cited as being systematic by rights groups, and strengthen the fight against drug trafficking.  

The former dentist and health minister took power in 2006 in the gas-rich country with no experience of competitive politics after the death of Turkmenistan’s first president, Saparmurat Niyazov.

Both men are honored by golden statues in the capital Ashgabat, where natural gas wealth is flaunted in lavish, grandiose white marble architecture, even as other parts of the country suffer from poverty.