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    1994 Turkmen parliamentary election

    From Wikipedia - Reading time: 5 min
    1994 Turkmen parliamentary election
    ← 1990 11 December 1994 (1994-12-11) 1999 →
    All 50 seats in the Assembly of Turkmenistan
    26 seats needed for a majority
    Turnout99.8%
      First party
      Saparmurat Niyazov in 2002.jpg
    Leader Saparmurat Niyazov
    Party TDP
    Leader since 27 October 1991
    Seats won 50
    Percentage 100%

    Parliamentary elections were held in Turkmenistan on 11 December 1994.[1] It was the second election in the post-Soviet state, since independence.[2] All 50 seats were won by the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan uncontested, being the only legal party.[2]

    Background[edit]

    On 27 October 1991, Turkmenistan became the last Central Asian Republic to declare independence.[1] By December, the Communist Party of Turkmenistan was rebranded to the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan (DPK).[2] Turkmenistan was also declared to be a presidential system of government.[1][a] On 15 January 1994, a referendum was held on the prolongation of President Niyazov's term of office until 2002 — 99.99% of voters came out in support.[1][b]

    Electoral system[edit]

    Following the promulgation of the 1992 Constitution in May, the Supreme Soviet was replaced with Parliament (Mejlis) and its strength was reduced from 175 to 50.[1][c] A new electoral law was adopted on 13 May 1994 but it did not deviate from Soviet precedent: universal suffrage was guaranteed above 18 years provided they were not serving a prison-term or were of unsound mind.[1]

    Any political party or a social organization or a group with over 200 registered members was allowed to nominate candidates, as long as they were above 25 years of age and possessed unconditional devotion to Turkmenistan.[1] Candidates had to give up government appointments (if any) on success.[1] In reality, Turkmenistan had no other party apart from DPK; their leadership asserted about how Turkmens did not want a multi-party state, as evident from Niyazov's efforts to open a "Peasant's Party."[4]

    A 23 member Central Election Commission (CEC) was tasked with overseeing the elections, with help from subordinate offices.[4] A two-round system was decided to be used.[2] To indicate support, voters had to leave the names untouched; else, they had to strike them off.[2]

    Candidates[edit]

    Only 54 candidates were proposed for the 50 constituencies — all other candidates withdrew or were disqualified.[2] Of these, three fail to be registered and one backed out after registration.[2] Thus, 50 candidates ran for 50 seats.[2]

    Campaign[edit]

    Posters with pictures and short biographs were plastered across prominent venues — expenses were borne by CEC.[4] The local election commission arranged for face-to-face meetings with constituents.[4] These meetings would be discussed in local newspapers, and the candidates effusively praised; particular emphasis was given on how they enjoyed "unanimous support."[4]

    Statistics[edit]

    5 were women and the rest men.[2] 21 were aged between 31 and 40 years, 22 between 41 and 50 years, and the rest were older.[2] 45 were Turkmen, 2 Russian, and 3 Uzbek.[4]

    Conduct[edit]

    Multiple poling stations were set up in each electoral district.[4] Polling was open from 8:00 to 18:00 on 11 December.[4] The ballots were printed in Turkmen as well as Russian — name of the candidate, profession, place of work, and residence address were noted.[4]

    A 99.77% voter turnout was registered.[1]

    Observers[edit]

    Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe requested to send its observers; no response was received from Turkmenistan Government.[4] However, observers from Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe and US Embassy diplomats were allowed as observers.[4]

    Results[edit]

    78 votes (0.0039%) were struck off as invalid.[1] As expected, the 50 candidates won uncontested.[4]

    PartyVotes%Seats
    Democratic Party of Turkmenistan50
    Total50
    Valid votes2,008,701100.00
    Invalid/blank votes780.00
    Total votes2,008,779100.00
    Registered voters/turnout2,013,42399.77
    Source: Nohlen et al.

    Aftermath[edit]

    Niyazov returned as the Prime Minister, as did Muradov as the Chairman.[2] The inaugural session was held on 26 December.[2]

    Notes[edit]

    1. ^ For specifics and other political developments, consult Anderson, John (1995-12-01). "Authoritarian political development in Central Asia: The case of Turkmenistan". Central Asian Survey. 14 (4): 509–527. doi:10.1080/02634939508400922. ISSN 0263-4937.
    2. ^ Gorbachev's reforms towards a more democratic polity failed to penetrate into Turkmenistan unlike certain other C. Asian republics. This aided Niyazov's impositions. In his own words, "We did not smash the former power structures all at once, which could have created a power vacuum and led to disturbances. We chose the path of steady, gradual transformation [...] Moreover, our government has resolutely suppressed attempts to pursue destructive notions on the crest of the wave of pseudo-reform and Glasnost."[3]
    3. ^ Also created was the People's Council (Halk Malshaty) having among its members - President, members of the Mejlis, 60 People's Advisors (Khalk Vekilleri) elected from each administrative district (Etrap), Chair of the Supreme Court, Council of Ministers, and other high ranking officials of the judicial branch and the state administration. The highest representative body, it was set to convene once a year.

    References[edit]

    1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Nohlen, Dieter; Grotz, Florian; Hartmann, Christof (2001-11-15). Elections in Asia and the Pacific: A Data Handbook. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/019924958x.003.0022. ISBN 978-0-19-924958-9.
    2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Turkmenistan Inter-Parliamentary Union
    3. ^ Al-Bassam, Kareem (1997). "The Evolution of Authoritarianism in Turkmenistan". Demokratizatsiya: The Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization. 5 (3): 386–405.
    4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Report on the parliamentary election in Turkmenistan: December 11, 1994, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. Washington D.C.: Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. 1995.
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