1994 Turkmen presidential term referendum

A referendum on extending President Saparmurat Niyazov's term until 2002 was held in Turkmenistan on 15 January 1994. ^[1] Official results showed that the proposal was approved by 99.99% of voters, with a 100% turnout. ^[1]

Background

In 1985, Saparmurat Niyazov, then the first secretary of the Ashgabat Communist Bloc, was handpicked by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev into elite politics as a replacement for Muhammad Gapusov, the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Turkmenistan. ^[2] This replacement was part of the Central Asian purges in the wake of the Uzbek cotton corruption scandal. ^[2] In January 1990 Niyazov was elected to the Supreme Soviet of the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic and was appointed as its chairman. ^{[1] [2]} Two months later, Niyazov was elected by the Supreme Soviet to the new office of president. ^[1] Following in the footsteps of his predecessor(s), Niyazov prevented Gorbachev-era reforms from having any tangible effect on what was among the most conservative federal republics of USSR. ^{[1] [2]} Opposition groups were routinely disbanded and members exiled on charges of anti-Soviet activities. ^[2]

In October 1990 his presidency was "unanimously" confirmed by the masses. ^[1] A year later he led Turkmenistan to secede from the Soviet Union despite an initial reluctance, and decreed a new constitution that promulgated a presidential government. ^{[2] [3]} The political atmosphere of the newly independent state remained as conservative as before, with Niyazov finding "classic, democratic formulas [..] that worked out in some prosperous Western country" unsuitable for Turkmenistan. ^[2] In 1992 Niyazov was re-elected unopposed as president, receiving over 98% of the vote. ^[1] Following these victories, Niyazov went further in manifesting a totalitarian regime based on a cult of personality. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Question

Voters were asked to decide whether to prolong the term of President Niyazov by six years, until 2002. ^[1] The question was worded "Do you support extending the term of President Saparmurat Niyazov until 2002?"

Results

According to official statistics, 100% of the registered voters (1,959,637) participated in the referendum. ^[1]

Choice		Votes	%
For		1,959,408	99.99
Against		212	0.01
Total		1,959,620	100.00
Valid votes		1,959,620	100.00
Invalid/blank votes		17	0.00
Total votes		1,959,637	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		1,959,637	100.00
Source: Nohlen et al. [1]

Aftermath

The promised elections were not held in 2002 as Niyazov had himself declared President for life by the Assembly on 28 December 1999. ^[1] He would rule until his death in 2006.

References

1. 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. Al-Bassam, Kareem (1997). "The Evolution of Authoritarianism in Turkmenistan" (PDF). Demokratizatsiya: The Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization. 5 (3): 386–405.
3. 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.