CIS to Send Observers to Turkmenistan Presidential Elections

Chairman of the CIS Executive Committee, Secretary Sergei Lebedev, will head the Commonwealth observer mission for the presidential elections in Turkmenistan to be held on Feb. 12, 2012, the CIS Executive Committee’s website reports.

CEC of Turkmenistan earlier reported that monitoring of the forthcoming elections in addition to national observers, will be carried out by observers and experts from other states and reputable international organisations, which ‘confirms the openness of Turkmenistan and its interest in an equal constructive partnership’.

The incumbent president of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov, nominated from public organisations, will take part in the elections as well as other candidates. Recently he announced that the election of 2012 “will be held on a democratic, alternative basis, according to the principles of democracy, openness and transparency”.

According to the country’s CEC, two more action groups were registered. Among them a group for the nomination of Yagmyr Orazov, director of the research institute of cotton and Begench Bordzhakova, governor of the Gurbansoltan eje district of the Dashoguz region.

In addition, a meeting of members of the country’s Architects Union was held where they nominated Esendurdy Gayypov, chief of the Lebapgurlushyk industrial association under the auspices of the Ministry of Construction, as a candidate.

According to the Constitution, the President of Turkmenistan must be a citizen of and born in Turkmenistan, aged at least 40 and no older than 70 years, know the state language, have resided in Turkmenistan over the past 15 years and have worked in state bodies, public associations, enterprises, institutions and organizations. The presidential term is five years.

Source: TURKISH WEEKLY