Parliamentary election in Turkmenistan in 2004
The 2004 parliamentary elections in Turkmenistan took place on December 19, 2004 , and runoff elections in some constituencies were held on January 9, 2005 . The 50 members of the Turkmen Parliament, the Assembly of Turkmenistan, were elected .
background
In the previous parliamentary election in December 1999, the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan (DPT) under the leadership of the authoritarian ruling President Saparmyrat Nyýazow won all 50 seats in the Turkmen parliament with an official turnout of 98.9%. Also in the parliamentary elections in 2004, only the party of the long-time president was allowed to participate; opposition candidates could not run in the election. The DPT nominated 131 candidates in 50 constituencies for the parliamentary election. For the election to be valid, a voter turnout of at least 50% was required; in the case of election results without a candidate with an absolute majority of the votes, a runoff between the two first-placed candidates had to be organized.
Result
The result was already expected in advance, so that the renewed election of 50 members of the Democratic Party was only symbolic. In seven of the 50 electoral districts a run-off election was held on January 9, 2005, in the remaining 43 a candidate achieved the necessary absolute majority in the first ballot. All 50 members of the newly composed parliament were ethnic Turkmens , the significant minorities in the country were not represented. The only surprise was the sharp drop in voter turnout, which was given as 76.88%. In addition to this official figure, there are estimates that assume a significantly lower turnout based on the observation of empty polling stations.
rating
Foreign election observers were not allowed in the parliamentary elections. Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe were refused a visa and had to stay away from the election. National authorities announced after the election that it was held in accordance with national law and democratic procedures. Abroad, the election was classified as neither free nor fair and it was given a purely symbolic function to strengthen the ruler Nyyazov.
Individual evidence
- ↑ TURKMENISTAN: parliamentary elections Majlis, 1999. Accessed March 16, 2020 .
- ↑ IPU PARLINE database: TURKMENISTAN (Mejlis), Elections in 2004. Retrieved on March 16, 2020 .
- ↑ IPU PARLINE database: TURKMENISTAN (Mejlis), Elections in 2004. Retrieved on March 16, 2020 .
- ^ Martin Christian Schäfer: Russia's foreign policy towards Central Asia . LIT publishing house, Münster.
- ^ Turkmenistan: Election Noteworthy For Lower Official Voter Turnout. Retrieved March 16, 2020 .
