Republican Party of Turkmenistan
The Republican Party of Turkmenistan ( RPT for short ) is an opposition party from Turkmenistan , which is banned in the authoritarian-ruled country and is therefore led from exile . The party leader is Nurmuhammed Khanamov .
Alignment
The Republican Party of Turkmenistan is one of the best known opposition parties in Turkmenistan. It positions itself openly against the incumbent President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow , who like his predecessor Saparmyrat Nyýazow suppresses all forms of opposition in Turkmenistan. Like numerous other Turkmen opposition groups, the RPT is therefore active from exile, the center of party activities is Vienna . The party's primary goals are the democratization of Turkmenistan and an end to systematic human rights violations in Turkmenistan. Overall, the financial and human resources of the opposition in exile are very limited, which also applies to the Republican Party. The party is endeavoring to raise awareness of the situation in Turkmenistan and to bring about change, including through appeals to international organizations and governments and by supporting individual opposition members who are active in Turkmenistan itself.
history
The Republican Party of Turkmenistan was founded in 2000 during the presidency of the first head of state of the independent Republic of Turkmenistan, Saparmyrat Nyýazow. Since the registration of an opposition party in Turkmenistan was not possible and the parties involved threatened political persecution and severe punishments, the party was mainly active from abroad from the start. In 2002, under the leadership of the former Turkmen Foreign Minister Boris Orazowiç Şyhmyradow , who after his tenure became one of the most prominent opponents of the Turkmen President, a conference of opposition Turkmen groups took place in Vienna, in which representatives of the RPT also took part. Among other things, the human rights violations in Turkmenistan were denounced. The work of the Republican Party and the Turkmen opposition as a whole was made more difficult by a failed assassination attempt on President Niyazov on November 25, 2002, which led to a new wave of arrests of prominent members of the opposition, including Şyhmyradov. In September 2003, following a conference in Prague , several opposition groups announced the founding of the Union of Democratic Forces of Turkmenistan, which includes the RPT.
With the death of long-time President Nyýazow on December 21, 2006, hope for changes in Turkmenistan arose for a short time. At a press conference four days after the president's death, the chairman of the RPT Khanamov called on the international organization and the Turkmen authorities to facilitate democratization and the holding of free elections. He announced that the Turkmen opposition was willing to take part in democratic elections in Turkmenistan with a joint candidate and promised an amnesty for those responsible for the Niyazov era and the fulfillment of long-term contracts for gas supplies abroad if the opposition won the election . At the same time, Khanamov called on the security authorities in the country to ensure stability and avoid the outbreak of civil war . Hopes for democratic reforms were dashed when Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow came to power, who was confirmed as his successor in the 2007 presidential election in Turkmenistan and who also represented an authoritarian claim to power.
Even in the Berdimuhamedow era, opposition parties were only able to work from abroad, so that the RPT's headquarters are still in Vienna. The central figure of the party is the chairman Nurmuhammed Khanamov, who is one of the faces of the Turkmen exile opposition and coordinates the activities of the RPT from Vienna. He also signed a letter from the Republican Party to the heads of state of the states of the European Union and the United States , which was written on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the independent state of Turkmenistan in September 2016. This ended with an appeal to the addressed heads of state:
“If it is in your power to alleviate suffering, or at least save the life of one person, please use the authority of your country! Urge the authorities and personally President Berdimuhamedov to allow international observers, doctors and lawyers to enter the prisons, demand the end of torture and humiliation, inhuman treatment and punishment in order to improve the living conditions of political prisoners and give them the right to to communicate with their relatives. "
On the occasion of the presidential election in Turkmenistan 2017 , Khanamov drew attention to the grievances in Turkmenistan and criticized the lack of political competition in the election. The opposing candidates had been approved in advance, a surprise was not to be expected, so the assessment of the party chairman before the election.
The RPT is still politically active, but is faced with considerable difficulties. The party's financial resources are limited and activities are largely concentrated on the party leader. Cooperation with dissidents in Turkmenistan is also made more difficult by the Turkmen government's continued zero-tolerance policy against any opposition.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Muhammad Tahir: The Future Of The Turkmen Opposition In Exile. In: The Jamestown Foundation. June 10, 2011, Retrieved July 27, 2020 (American English).
- ^ Turkmenistan - Politics. In: Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved July 27, 2020 (English).
- ^ Annette Bohr: Turkmenistan . In: Nations in transist . 2007, p. 717 .
- ↑ Лидеры туркменской оппозиции призвали к реформам в своей стране из Киева. In: Deutsche Welle. December 25, 2006, accessed July 27, 2020 (Russian).
- ^ New Turkmen President Sworn In. In: rferl.com. Retrieved July 27, 2020 (English).
- ↑ Nurmuhammed Khanamov (ed.): Address of the Republican Party of Turkmenistan to the leaders of the EU countries and the USA . 20th September 2016.
- ^ Turkmenistan's non-election election. In: Deutsche Welle. February 10, 2017, accessed July 27, 2020 (UK English).