ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan — Voters in authoritarian Turkmenistan on Sunday chose a new parliament in an election that included candidates from three parties and some independents, but no real opposition to President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov. The 125-seat Mejlis is largely a rubber-stamp body for Berdymukhamedov, who as president since 2007 has established a personality cult that reaches all levels of society, styling him as the Arkadag (protector). It doesn’t matter who wins in them because all the candidates for parliament deputies are dignified people,” voter Dzhahan Khudaikulieva said. Turkmenistan’s economy is heavily dependent on natural gas exports, and the country was hit hard when Russia stopped buying Turkmen gas in 2016. Berdymukhamedov last fall ordered an end to the free natural gas, electricity and water that residents of the ex-Soviet nation had enjoyed for a quarter century.

Source: Washington Post March 25, 2018 14:57 UTC