[20220329]IN11904_土库曼斯坦总统继任：国会议题.pdf

CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i Presidential Succession in Turkmenistan: Issues for Congress March 29, 2022 Overview Turkmenistan, an authoritarian country rich in hydrocarbons that borders Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and the Caspian Sea, held a snap presidential election on March 12, 2022. Serdar Berdimuhamedov, son of incumbent President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, won with a reported 73% of the vote and was inaugurated on March 19. Analysts had long speculated that Serdar was being positioned by his father to succeed to the presidency. The younger Berdimuhamedov was elected to parliament in 2016 and went on to hold a number of increasingly senior government positions. In September 2021 he turned 40, the minimum age for presidential candidates. Despite rumors about Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedovs health, analysts were surprised by the timing of the election. Some speculate that it may have been motivated by January unrest in neighboring Kazakhstan, while others emphasize that it was the culmination of a long-term process rather than a “knee-jerk reaction.” According to longtime observers, “it is difficult to describe what is