Presidential election in Turkmenistan 2017

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Incumbent and election winner Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow (2017)

The 2017 presidential election in Turkmenistan took place on February 12, 2017 . As expected, the authoritarian ruling President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow prevailed with a clear majority and was confirmed for a seven-year term in the highest political office in Turkmenistan .

background

After the death of long-time President Saparmyrat Nyýazow in December 2006, his successor Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow was elected President of Turkmenistan on February 11, 2007. Since all opposition is banned in the country and opposition movements and politicians can only operate from exile , Berdimuhamedow was able to quickly consolidate his role as President of Turkmenistan. With another election victory in the 2012 presidential election and a constitutional reform in 2016 that lifted the age limit for the Turkmen president and extended his term of office from five to seven years, Berdimuhamedov appears to have built an unassailable position of power. Due to this development, hardly any surprise was expected in the regular presidential election in February 2017.

Candidates

In the 2017 presidential election, a new record was set for the number of candidates with nine candidates for the office of president. However, all candidates were considered loyal to the regime and absolutely without a chance. The participation of opposition politicians in the election was excluded, a candidacy was only possible through registration by the state authorities, which required loyalty to the incumbent. In this way, the following field of applicants for the presidency came about:

Despite the large number of candidates, there was never a political debate about the presidential election. The presumed opponent of the incumbent Berdimuhamedow also praised the economic development under the incumbent president and did not express any criticism of him.

Result

With an official voter turnout of 97.29%, the result was in line with the expectations of observers and represented a slight increase in the incumbent president's share of the vote compared to the 2012 presidential election:

candidate Voting share in%
Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow 97.69
Maksat Annanepesov 1.02
Bekmurad Ataliyev 0.36
Serdar Jelilov 0.25
Jumanazar Annayev 0.21
Meretdurdy Gurbanov 0.17
Ramazan Durdiyev 0.15
Velayat Suleimannepes Nurnepesov 0.09
Durdygylych Orazov 0.06

rating

Observers from various organizations and nations were present during the presidential election, including six election observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe . As in all previous elections in Turkmenistan, the 2017 presidential election was classified as neither free nor fair. The elimination and suppression of all opposition and the constant presence of the Turkmen President in the state-controlled media contributed to this. The Turkmen opposition in exile also criticized the election and did not recognize it as democratic. The state news agency of Turkmenistan, on the other hand, announced that the holding of the presidential election was proof of the transparency and legitimacy of the election.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Turkmenistan Leader Remains in Power | Voice of America - English. Retrieved March 21, 2020 .
  2. ↑ Elections in Turkmenistan: The winner has long been known. Retrieved March 21, 2020 .
  3. ^ Deutsche Welle (www.dw.com): Turkmenistan's non-election election | DW | 02/10/2017. Retrieved March 21, 2020 (UK English).
  4. ↑ IFES Election Guide | Elections: Turkmenistan President 2017. Accessed March 21, 2020 .
  5. ↑ The results of Presidential Elections in Turkmenistan are presented | TDH. Retrieved March 21, 2020 .
  6. ^ Deutsche Welle (www.dw.com): Turkmen President re-elected with 98 percent | DW | 02/13/2017. Retrieved on March 21, 2020 (German).
  7. ↑ The results of Presidential Elections in Turkmenistan are presented | TDH. Retrieved March 21, 2020 .