Initiative groups of citizens in the Balkan and Lebap regions put forward their candidates for the presidency of Turkmenistan. As part of the election campaign that started in Turkmenistan on February 14, the names of two more contenders for the highest state post became known on Friday.

From the initiative group of the Balkan region, the head doctor of the Avaza sanatorium of the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry, deputy of the Mejlis Milli Gengesh (lower house of parliament) Berdimammet Gurbanov was nominated as a candidate for the post of president of the country.

He graduated from the Turkmen State Medical Institute in 2004, after which he worked in the rural Health House and other medical institutions of the Primorye Territory, and since November 2012 he became the deputy head of the health department of the Balkan velayat.

In Lebap, an initiative group nominated the director of the regional financial and economic secondary vocational school, Perkhat Begenjov, for the presidential election.

He graduated from the Turkmen State Institute of Economics and Management in 2000 with a degree in economics. He began his career as a teacher at the same university, in March 2014 he was appointed director of the financial and economic secondary vocational school in the Lebap region. He is a member of the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan.

According to the Electoral Code of Turkmenistan, which determines the procedure for nominating candidates for the presidency of Turkmenistan by groups of citizens, a candidate must be supported by at least ten thousand signatures of voters.

Early presidential elections in Turkmenistan will be held on March 12.

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