The gas-rich Central Asian nation of Turkmenistan, on Sunday (March 26) held voting for its parliamentary elections. The polling stations closed at 7:00 pm (local time), with the turnout being an estimated 91.12 per cent of the 3.5 million eligible voters, said the country’s Central Elections and Referendums Board.
The election comes nearly a year after President Serdar Berdymukhamedov came to power a year ago following a hereditary succession. Aside from the 125 lawmakers of the unicameral parliament, called the Mejlis, the people also voted for members of the Assembly of Turkmenistan and other local government bodies who will remain in office for five years.
The elections were contested by 258 candidates for the 125 seats in the assembly and over 2,644 ballot boxes were set up across the country, reported Anadolu Agency. However, information about their policies was difficult to find, said a report by AFP, adding that the candidates represent three parties and several groups of citizens.
There is very little known about the former Soviet republic as it reportedly remains one of the most repressive and secretive states. However, Berdymukhamedov and his father had previously said that the elections will be held in line with democratic principles.
In 2006, former dentist and health minister Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov came to power succeeding the nation’s founding president Saparmurat Niyazov after his death. Last year, the 65-year-old Gurbanguly handed over the country to his son Serdar following a token snap election while retaining his position as a chair of the upper house of parliament.
Entrepreneur Maksat Redjenov from Turkmenistan told AFP, that after Serdar took over “a lot of people were expecting major reforms from the new president. We expected new factories to be built, the country to open up, the arrival of tourists, that state control would ease.” However, Turkmenistan remains one of the world’s most closed-off countries.
(With inputs from agencies)
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