"The president … gave us an instruction to prepare for early presidential elections on March 12," a spokesman for the election commission, Bezergen Garrayev, told AFP by telephone.
President Berdymukhamedov's 40-year-old son Serdar Berdymukhamedov is now the second most powerful government official with a broad purview over the economy as vice-premier.
In a speech in parliament on Friday, Berdymukhamedov said he reached "a difficult decision" about his leadership because of his age, adding that the country needed "young leaders", the state information service TDH reported, according to AFP.
Berdymukhamedov said the proposal to involve "youth" leaders was "approved" at the session, in further quotes that appeared on TDH's website early on Saturday.
Berdymukhamedov said he wished to remain in politics in his role as chairman of parliament's upper chamber.
KI/PR
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