Turkmenistani presidential election, 2007
Encyclopedia
Presidential elections were held in Turkmenistan
on February 11, 2007, following the death of President for Life
Saparmurat Niyazov
on 21 December 2006.
announced that the election would occur on February 11, 2007.
:
Current authorities endorsed the Acting President. The candidate nominated by the opposition coalition (whose members are mostly in exile) (led by the Republican Party of Turkmenistan
and Watan), Hudaýberdi Orazow, was not approved.
Before the elections, ITAR-TASS claimed that instead of Gurbanow, Durdy Durdyýew
, the Deputy Tourism and Sports Minister, would be a candidate in the election. Later reports never mentioned him again and always gave the six candidates named above as the approved candidates, so it seems likely that Durdyýew was only one of the eleven proposed candidates.
At the start of his campaign, Berdimuhamedow promised substantial reforms such as allowing internet access for everyone and revamping the education system, but at the same time vowed to follow Niyazov's footsteps. He also said he would support small business and private ownership, noting that 61% of the economy is in private hands.
disputes the voter turn-out figures provided by the government, and claims that the election was "neither free nor fair". The International Crisis Group
has described the poll as a "blatantly falsified election".
Seeking to boost voter participation, officials warned inhabitants of Lebap Province
that they would not get their monthly flour rations if they failed to vote. At the same time, first-time and elderly voters were promised "gifts" for voting. Later reports indicated that the gift consisted of the late Niyazov's ubiquitous Ruhnama
.
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...
on February 11, 2007, following the death of President for Life
President for Life
President for Life is a title assumed by some dictators to remove their term limit, in the hope that their authority, legitimacy, and term will never be disputed....
Saparmurat Niyazov
Saparmurat Niyazov
Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov; , was a Turkmen politician who served as President of Turkmenistan from 2 November 1990 until his death in 2006...
on 21 December 2006.
Election date
After Niyazov's death on December 21, 2006, Acting President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow stated that the date for the next presidential election would be announced on December 26, 2006; he also claimed that these elections would be held "on a democratic basis that has been laid by the great leader". On December 26, 2006 the People's CouncilPeople's Council of Turkmenistan
The Halk Maslahaty was the highest representative body in Turkmenistan . It was abolished in the new constitution of 2008....
announced that the election would occur on February 11, 2007.
Candidates
Six candidates were approved out of eleven contenders, all of them members of the Democratic PartyDemocratic Party of Turkmenistan
The Democratic Party of Turkmenistan is the only political party in Turkmenistan. The DPT was led by former Soviet provincial Party leader Saparmurat Niyazov from the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s until his death in 2006...
:
- Amanýaz Atajykow, member of parliament and deputy governor of Daşoguz Province
- Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, Acting President
- Orazmyrat Garajaýew, mayor of AbadanAbadan, TurkmenistanAbadan is a town located near Aşgabat in the Ahal Province of Turkmenistan. It was founded in 1963. It was named Büzmeýin until October 2002 when its name was changed by Turkmenistan's president Saparmurat Niyazov...
- Muhammetnazar Gurbanow, head of the Garabekewul district
- Işanguly NuryýewIsanguly NuryýewIşanguly Nuryýew is the Deputy Oil and Gas Industry and Natural Resources Minister of Turkmenistan. On December 26, 2006, he was nominated by the People's Council of Turkmenistan to be a candidate in the presidential election scheduled for February 11, 2007...
, Deputy Oil and Gas Industry and Natural Resources Minister - Aşyrnyýaz Pomanow, mayor of TürkmenbaşyTürkmenbasy, TurkmenistanTürkmenbaşy , formerly known as Krasnovodsk and, more properly, Kyzyl-Su, is a city in Balkan Province in Turkmenistan, on the Krasnovodsk Gulf of the Caspian Sea. It is located at latitude 40.0231 North; longitude 52.9697 East, at an altitude of 27 meters. The population was 86,800, mostly...
Current authorities endorsed the Acting President. The candidate nominated by the opposition coalition (whose members are mostly in exile) (led by the Republican Party of Turkmenistan
Republican Party of Turkmenistan
The Republican Party of Turkmenistan is one of several dissident political parties that have been outlawed within Turkmenistan. Leaders of the exile-based RPT include Nurmuhammet Hanamow who went into exile in 2002 and Annadurdy Hajyýew, whose sister Ogulsapar Myradowa died in a Turkmen prison in...
and Watan), Hudaýberdi Orazow, was not approved.
Before the elections, ITAR-TASS claimed that instead of Gurbanow, Durdy Durdyýew
Durdy Durdyýew
Durdy Durdyýew, is the Deputy Tourism and Sports Minister of Turkmenistan. On December 26, 2006, it was falsely announced he was nominated by the People's Council of Turkmenistan to be a candidate in the presidential election scheduled for February 11, 2007...
, the Deputy Tourism and Sports Minister, would be a candidate in the election. Later reports never mentioned him again and always gave the six candidates named above as the approved candidates, so it seems likely that Durdyýew was only one of the eleven proposed candidates.
At the start of his campaign, Berdimuhamedow promised substantial reforms such as allowing internet access for everyone and revamping the education system, but at the same time vowed to follow Niyazov's footsteps. He also said he would support small business and private ownership, noting that 61% of the economy is in private hands.
Election day
Electoral officials in Turkmenistan reported that 95% of voters voted in the election. Radio Free EuropeRadio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a broadcaster funded by the U.S. Congress that provides news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East "where the free flow of information is either banned by government authorities or not fully developed"...
disputes the voter turn-out figures provided by the government, and claims that the election was "neither free nor fair". The International Crisis Group
International Crisis Group
The International Crisis Group is an international, non-profit, non-governmental organization whose mission is to prevent and resolve deadly conflicts around the world through field-based analyses and high-level advocacy.-History:...
has described the poll as a "blatantly falsified election".
Seeking to boost voter participation, officials warned inhabitants of Lebap Province
Lebap Province
Lebap Province is one of the provinces of Turkmenistan. It is in the northeast of the country, bordering Uzbekistan along the Amu Darya. Its capital is Türkmenabat...
that they would not get their monthly flour rations if they failed to vote. At the same time, first-time and elderly voters were promised "gifts" for voting. Later reports indicated that the gift consisted of the late Niyazov's ubiquitous Ruhnama
Ruhnama
Ruhnama , is a book written by Saparmurat Niyazov, late President for Life of Turkmenistan, combining spiritual/moral guidance, autobiography and revisionist history, much of it is of dubious or disputed factuality and accuracy. The text includes many stories and poems, including those by Sufi poet...
.