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Turkmenistan Swears In New President
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=163D558:A6F02AD83191E1601E75E731B3B758479574F7DCC14957C0 Gurbanguly
Berdymukhammedov pledges to follow path set by late authoritarian
Saparmurat Niyazov during swearing-in ceremony, Wednesday
Turkmenistan's new president - Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov - has
pledged to follow the path set by the late authoritarian leader,
Saparmurat Niyazov, during his swearing in ceremony in the capital,
Ashgabat, Wednesday. VOA's Lisa McAdams in Moscow has more on the
inauguration.

The head of Turkmenistan's Central Election Commission, Murad Karryev,
declared Mr. Berdymukhammedov the winner of Sunday's election, with
nearly 90 percent of the vote. His five lesser-known challengers - who
all hailed from the same political party - scored in the single
digits.

Moments after the announcement, the long-time Niyazov loyalist - a
dentist by trade - placed his hand on the constitution and took the
presidential oath of office.







Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov (file photo)In his inaugural speech, Mr.
Berdymukhammedov pledged to dedicate himself to the legacy of Niyazov,
who suppressed all forms of political opposition in Turkmenistan
during his 21 years of rule

At the same time, the new president again hinted at possible reforms,
including allowing ordinary citizens access to the Internet - a
benefit previously reserved for government officials and a few
journalists.

But it is Mr. Berdymukhammedov's pledge to continue pursuing a policy
of exporting natural gas from Turkmenistan's vast reseves that is most
likely to be watched by Russia, Europe and the United States.

Turkmenistan has the 12th largest known gas reserves in the world.

International heads of state in attendance included Afghan President
Hamid Karzai, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov and Kazakhstan
President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko,
whose country is a major recipient of Turkmen gas, was also present.


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