MOSCOW (Reuters) – Serdar Berdymukhamedov, the son of Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, has confirmed he will join the race to replace his father in a presidential election set for March 12, Turkmen news website Salamnews reported on Monday.
President Berdymukhamedov, 64, announced at the weekend he was calling an early election. He said he would not seek another term after 15 years at the helm and wanted to allow a younger generation to take over.
His 40-year-old son, who is currently a deputy prime minister, is widely expected to succeed his father as president of the gas-rich Central Asian nation.
(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Writing by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Gareth Jones)
