Registration of candidates, which is an important stage of preparations for elections to be held on March 26, has been completed in Turkmenistan.
14,872 candidates were nominated and registered across the country. Among them, there are 258 candidates for the National Parliament, 515 candidates for the membership of the people's councils of the provinces and Ashgabat city, 2001 candidates for the membership of the people's councils of the regions and cities, and 12098 candidates for the membership of the Councils. Among them are highly qualified employees from all sectors of the economy, representatives of various professions.
All candidates were presented on a free and equal basis, and their nomination and registration was open in accordance with the requirements of national legislation. Pre-election campaigning and media coverage of the election season will continue from the announcement of the decision to hold elections until March 25.
In all districts, 2-3 candidates were nominated. This is in accordance with the principles of competition, which President Serdar Berdimuhamedov defined as an important condition for holding elections. Candidates are given equal rights and opportunities in elections. 6,241 candidates from the Democratic Party, 523 from the Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Party, 3,576 from the Agrarian Party, and 4,532 from the Citizens' Group were nominated for the elections. Candidates were nominated at the general meeting of voters in their constituencies.
In the near future, meetings with the voters of the candidates in the legislative power of the country, as well as local self-government and representative power institutions will begin. Candidates will talk about their pre-election programs during their meetings with voters. They will also answer questions from our citizens about what they will do to repay the trust they have placed in well-educated, positive initiative candidates.
According to the Electoral Code, political parties, public organizations, candidates, their authorized representatives, and citizen's advocacy groups are given the opportunity to conduct propaganda activities freely. Candidates are guaranteed equal conditions for appearing in the media. An open and transparent election will ensure the participation of international and national observers.
Recent major developments have set the stage for an active run-up to elections based on openness and transparency. This indicates that the elections of the new members of the deputies of the country, the People's Council and the members of the Councils will be held in accordance with the national election legislation and international legal norms.
125 deputies of the Mejlis of Turkmenistan should be elected throughout the country. Elections of members of regional people's councils will be held in 240 constituencies, elections of members of people's councils of etraps and cities in 960 constituencies, and elections of council members in 5897 constituencies. 2644 polling stations were created for voting.
Source: Turkmenistan: the Golden Age Online Newspaper