New Turkmen President Extends Compulsory Education

Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov signed a decree introducing 10-year compulsory education starting in September. The decree said that the move was aimed at raising education standards to the level of developed countries.

The late President Saparmurat Niyazov reduced compulsory education to nine years in 2003.

Berdymukhammedov also announced that the country's first Internet cafe will open in Ashgabat on February 16.

Meanwhile, the United States says the February 11 presidential election in Turkmenistan represents a "modest step."

U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Washington was encouraged by the presence of multiple presidential candidates.

McCormack said democracy took time to develop, and called the election campaign and balloting the "first baby steps."

The election was Turkmenistan's first ever featuring more than one candidate -- though all were from the country's only legal party.

Goran Lennmarker, the president of the Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe's parliamentary assembly, said today the election could be seen as "an important step forward" for a country coming out of 21 years of totalitarian rule.

But he added that the election was not one "in a normal Western sense."

(compiled from agency reports)