General election in Turkmenistan 2008

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Logo of the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan , which also dominated the 2008 general election

The 2008 parliamentary elections in Turkmenistan took place on December 14, 2008 with a runoff on December 28, 2008. The 2008 general election was the first parliamentary election after the death of long-time President of Turkmenistan , Saparmyrat Nyýazow .

Electoral system

With the introduction of a new constitution in August 2008, the political system in Turkmenistan changed radically. Instead of a two-chamber system consisting of the People's Council with more than 2,000 members and the Assembly of Turkmenistan with 50 members, a one-chamber system has now been introduced in Turkmenistan . The People's Council was completely abolished and the Assembly of Turkmenistan increased to 125 members. These are elected in a majority vote in 125 constituencies across the country. In order to win a seat in the Turkmenistan Assembly, an absolute majority of the votes cast is necessary. If this is not achieved by any of the candidates in the first ballot, a run-off election between the two most successful candidates in the first ballot is planned.

The new constitution also made some formal changes with regard to the registration of parties and candidates. For example, the 2008 constitution stipulated the approval of a multi-party system in Turkmenistan, which so far only the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan had known as the only political party . In addition, according to the constitution, there was the possibility that groups of voters could propose a common candidate and this candidate could run as an independent candidate. These cautious signs of a democratization of the previously authoritarian ruled Turkmenistan found no political continuation in the course of the election.

background

Long-time president Saparmyrat Nyýazow, who was at the center of an escalating personality cult , died on December 21, 2006 , and left behind numerous challenges for the future of Turkmenistan. In the struggle for the successor to the office of president, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow was able to prevail and legitimize his claim to power through the presidential election in Turkmenistan in 2007 . Berdimuhamedow partially separated himself from the political course of his predecessor. He restricted the personality cult around Nyýazow, made political and economic reforms, including the drafting of a new constitution, and tried to cautiously open up the country in order to become more attractive to foreign investors. One step in this opening up was cooperation with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which sent a needs assessment mission in the run-up to the election and a team of experts to Turkmenistan on election day. After the parliamentary elections in Turkmenistan in 2004 , the nominal five-year legislative period would not have expired until 2009, but due to the reforms in the course of the introduction of the new constitution, an earlier parliamentary election was decided.

Candidates and parties

The establishment of a multi-party system remained a formal side note in Turkmenistan's new constitution. The registration deadline on November 14, 2008 passed without the registration of another party, so that again only the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan, led by the president, ran for election. The possibility of nominating independent candidates was often used in the run-up to the election. Each independent candidate was examined by the Turkmen electoral authorities following their nomination and had to be approved for election by these government-loyal authorities. After completing the registration process, a field of 288 candidates emerged, the majority of which consisted of candidates from the Democratic Party and a small number of independent candidates who, however, also support the course of the president. This constellation and the restrictions on freedom of assembly and freedom of expression made a controversial election campaign impossible. Except for a few events on the part of the Democratic Party, there was no visible election campaign.

Result

On December 22, 2008, the Turkmen authorities published a list of 123 members of the new Turkmen parliament. Their party affiliation was not specified, numerous high officials of the Democratic Party moved into the newly elected parliament. In one constituency a runoff election was held on December 28, in another constituency the elected candidate had to resign from his mandate, so that on February 8, 2009 a second election took place in this constituency. The official turnout in the first ballot was given as 93.87%. Even if it was not known in the aftermath of the election how large the proportion of members of parliament officially belong to the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan, it was clear that President Berdimuhamedov could count on the unconditional support of parliament after the election.

rating

The choice was met with mixed feedback. President Berdimuhamedov described the new constitution of Turkmenistan and the parliamentary elections in 2008 as progress in the democratization of Turkmenistan, and observers from the Commonwealth of Independent States also praised the election as competitive and transparent. Turkmen opposition members, who are mostly active in exile due to political persecution in Turkmenistan, hardly commented on the election because they dismissed it as a deception. OSCE observers criticized the lack of implementation of the constitutional reforms and goals and the dominant role of the Democratic Party in suppressing any opposition, which made pluralist political debate impossible. On election day itself, the small team of experts from the OSCE was prevented from observing the electoral process and therefore did not submit a final report on the election. Above all, the official figures on voter turnout, which was very high at almost 94%, were questioned by observers. Reports of empty polling stations and only a few signed electoral rolls raised doubts about the government's statements.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Turkmenistan profile . In: BBC News . February 26, 2018 ( bbc.com [accessed April 25, 2020]).
  2. ↑ a b IPU PARLINE database: TURKMENISTAN (Mejlis) ELECTIONS IN 2008. Retrieved April 25, 2020 .
  3. ↑ Turkmenistan takes reformist step . September 26, 2008 ( bbc.co.uk [accessed April 25, 2020]).
  4. ↑ Turkmen Parliamentary Elections Offer New Twists On Same Old Story - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty © 2008 December 14, 2008, accessed April 25, 2020 .
  5. ^ A b Turkmen's vote in election with little choice . In: Reuters . December 13, 2008 ( reuters.com [accessed April 25, 2020]).
  6. ^ Turkmenistan Publishes List Of Election Winners. Accessed April 25, 2020 (English).
  7. ↑ Jim Nichol: Turkmenistan: Recent Developments and US Interests . Congressional Research Service, Washington DC December 2, 2013, p. 2 .
  8. ↑ OSCE (ed.): EARLY PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS 14 December 2008 OSCE / ODIHR NEEDS ASSESSMENT MISSION REPORT . Warsaw October 20, 2008.
  9. ↑ EurasiaNet Civil Society - Turkmenistan: How Many Citizens Actually Voted in Parliamentary Vote? December 18, 2008, accessed April 25, 2020 .