Elections in Turkmenistan Highlight Fundamental Pluralism Deficit

The upcoming parliamentary elections in Turkmenistan highlight the fundamental lack of space for political pluralism and freedom of expression in this country, said International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) and Turkmen Initiative for Human Rights (TIHR).

On 15 December, 125 members will be elected to the parliament of Turkmenistan. And it is of key importance that Turkmenistan’s international partners are vocal about the need for fundamental changes to the country's repressive political system, said Brigitte Dufour, director of IPHR. They should insist on systematic and wide-ranging reforms to foster a climate in which different opinions and views can be freely expressed, political alternatives can emerge and leaders respect the will of the people, she added.

The elections will be deprived of meaningful choice as both political parties are staunchly loyal to the president, other candidates have been nominated by government-controlled public associations and none of the 283 registered candidates run on an independent line.

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights has pointed out that the participation in the elections of a second political party "is no substitute for a genuinely pluralistic environment" and has refrained from deploying any election observation mission, concluding that this would not "be of added value" at this time.

Currently no political opposition group can operate openly in Turkmenistan, and well-known opposition figures are in exile or in prison. The country's media continue to be tightly controlled by the state and are used as means of ideological propaganda.

The internet is still available to only less than 10% of the...

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