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Turnout | 97.28% | ||||||||||||||||
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![]() Results by region | |||||||||||||||||
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Presidential elections were held in Turkmenistan on 12 February 2017. [1] This was Turkmenistan's fifth presidential election and decided who would be the country's president for the next seven years. Incumbent President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow won with more than 97% of the vote, [2] similar to the results of the 2012 elections.
The result was widely expected; although the election was nominally contested by nine candidates, all opposition candidates were appointed by the government and the elections were regarded by foreign organisations as not being a free and fair contest. [2] [3]
In September 2016, the constitution was changed to remove term limits and the 70 year-old age limit for presidential candidates, as well as extending the presidential term from five to seven years. [2] [4]
The President of Turkmenistan is elected using the two-round system. [5]
The Democratic Party nominated the incumbent President, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, who won 97.14% of the vote in the previous elections. A total of 9 candidates were approved by the Central Election Committee. [6] [7] The opposition candidates' manifestos were published in the state-controlled mass media. [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17]
Name [18] | Party | Position |
---|---|---|
Maksat Annanepesow | Independent | Chairman of the State Food Industry Association |
Jumanazar Annaýew | Independent | Deputy Head of Mary Region |
Bekmyrat Atalyýew | Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs | Member of Parliament |
Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow (Incumbent) | Democratic Party of Turkmenistan/Independent | President of Turkmenistan |
Ramazan Durdyýew | Independent | Member of Parliament |
Meretdurdy Gurbanow | Independent | Deputy Head of Daşoguz Region |
Serdar Jelilow | Independent | Head of the Department of Economic Development, Akhal Region |
Süleýmannepes Nurnepesow | Independent | Chief Executive of Garabogazsulfat |
Durdygylyç Orazow | Agrarian Party | Head of Mary Region |
Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow | Democratic Party/Independent | 3,090,610 | 97.69 | |
Maksat Annanepesow | Independent | 32,269 | 1.02 | |
Bekmyrat Atalyýew | Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs | 11,389 | 0.36 | |
Serdar Jelilow | Independent | 7,909 | 0.25 | |
Jumanazar Annaýew | Independent | 6,643 | 0.21 | |
Meretdurdy Gurbanow | Independent | 5,378 | 0.17 | |
Ramazan Durdyýew | Independent | 4,745 | 0.15 | |
Süleýmannepes Nurnepesow | Independent | 2,847 | 0.09 | |
Durdygylyç Orazow | Agrarian Party | 1,898 | 0.06 | |
Total | 3,163,688 | 100.00 | ||
Registered voters/turnout | 3,252,243 | – | ||
Source: TRT, Government of Turkmenistan |
The politics of Turkmenistan nominally takes place in the framework of a presidential republic, whereby the President of Turkmenistan is nominally both head of state and head of government. However, as of 21 January 2023 a "national leader" was appointed who chairs an independent People's Council (viz.) with authority to amend the constitution, and who exercises supreme political authority. No true opposition parties are allowed; every registered political party supports the third and current President Serdar Berdimuhamedow. The country is frequently described as a totalitarian state.
Turkmenistan elects on national level a head of state — the president — and a legislature. The elections in Turkmenistan since its split from the Soviet Union have been widely criticized for being neither free nor fair and attempting to give an appearance of legitimacy to what is in reality a dictatorship. Parties in Turkmenistan are the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan and the Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. The president has a seven-year term, while the legislature has a five-year term.
Turkmenistan is divided into five regions, or welaýatlar and one capital city (şäher) with provincial legal status. They are Ahal, Balkan, Dashoguz, Lebap and Mary, plus the capital city of Ashgabat. Each province is divided into districts. As of 20 December 2022 there were 37 districts, 49 cities, including 7 cities with district status, 68 towns, 469 rural councils and 1690 villages in Turkmenistan.
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