Local Elections Fail to Impress

The average voter was less than convinced by this assessment of ballot, and many said election day was characterised not by transparency but by its complete absence.



The chairman of a farmers’ association in Akbugday, Murad Gichgeldiev, recalled the meeting where candidates were nominated. All the names proposed were approved, no one nominated anyone else and when an election official read out the list of names, all those present gave their consent.



In some cases the formality of a meeting was not even observed. Haidar Pashaev, a villager in Ahal region, said that he and his wife were waiting for a nomination meeting to take place, as had been the practice in previous elections, but none took place.



Some voters chose not to take part in the ballot. For example, one man from Boldumsaz in the northern Dashoguz region, who was visiting the capital Ashgabat to sell his goods, said he had no time to vote – and the local councils were useless anyway.



The Turkmen constitution sets out wide-ranging powers for local councils. They are supposed to direct economic, social and cultural policy in the areas they control, and their duties include approving the local budget and monitoring spending, establishing local taxes and procedures for levying them, and deciding how to save on natural resources and look after the environment.



But the councils do nothing, and these goals are ignored.



According to a lawyer with the presidential Institute for Democracy and Human Rights, one of the main reasons why local councils are so inert is that their elected members are unpaid.



But perhaps the real point is that the councils have no actual power.



When Khalmurad Annaev went to vote, he knew both of the candidates – but he just ticked the first name he saw, because he didn’t care which of them was elected, as either would be powerless.



The next stage is to elect the “archins” or council leaders. In all likelihood, the selection process will follow past practice. The law stipulates that council members elect one of their own as leader. In reality, though, it is the Turkmen president who picks them. Insiders say the president is given a list and makes a decision on each name. His choices are not up for discussion.