Turkmenistan - March 2023

Turkmenistan held elections for a new unicameral legislature on 26 March that, like all elections in the country’s history, were considered neither free nor fair and marred by serious violations and fraud. The Central Election Commission claimed turnout of 91.12 per cent, but observers and journalists instead noted largely empty polling stations. Under the new constitutional framework, the rubber-stamp parliament will be largely subservient to the unelected People’s Council, headed by former president Gurbanguly Berdymukhmammedov. Women’s representation in parliament, which stood at 24 per cent in the previous parliament, has not yet been made publicly available.

Sources: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty