Turkmenistan Votes in Presidential Election

• 02.12.2017, 13:04
•  World

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Voting for president began Sunday in Turkmenistan, reports Sputnik-News.

A total of 2,587 polling stations opened at 7:00 a.m. local time (2:00GMT), 39 of them abroad. They will close at 7:00 p.m. (14:00GMT).

Some 3.2 million Turkmen voters are eligible to cast their ballots. There is no turnout threshold in order for the voting to be considered valid.

Sitting President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, a clear favorite, is running for a third term. There are seven other candidates beside him.

A revised Turkmen constitution was adopted last September ahead of the election, abolishing the age cap of 70 years for presidential candidates and extending the term in office from five to seven years.