ODIHR head buoyed by Turkmen “willingness to engage” (21.06.2010)

(Quelle: RFE/RL)

A top official from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has praised what he calls a "new readiness" by Turkmen officials to "engage and cooperate" with his organization.

Turkmenistan offers to host Central Asian disarmament conference (27.09.2009)

(Quelle: Gundogar / Turkmenistan)

Turkmenistan has offered to host an international conference on disarmament in Central Asia and the Caspian basin under UN auspices in its capital, Ashgabat. … Central Asia has witnessed increasing militarization in the past decade, partly due to U.S.-led operations in Afghanistan.

Turkmenistan plans Caspian naval base amid dispute (01.09.2009)

(Quelle: Gündogar / Turkmenistan)

Turkmenistan will establish a naval base on the Caspian Sea, the Central Asian nation's president said Monday - a move that could inflame disputes over the area's lucrative hydrocarbon fields.

UN program for Turkmenistan development assistance signed in Ashgabat (16.08.2009)

(Quelle: Gündogar / Turkmenistan)

Priorities of cooperation between Turkmenistan's government and U.N. agencies accredited in the country are put down in the United Nations framework programme for Turkmenistan development assistance (U.N. Development Assistance Framework) signed on Saturday for the period from 2010 to 2015, national television said. The distinctive feature of the programme is that it is aimed at solution of issues of peace, stability and security, Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov noted at the signing ceremony.

Candidates prepare for local elections (02.07.2009)

(Quelle: EurasiaNet / USA)

More than 12,450 candidates will contest 6,220 seats on Turkmenistan's local legislative councils later this month. Elections are due to be held on July 26.

Turkmenistan grants mass prisoner pardon (17.05.2009)

(Quelle: Gündogar / Turkmenistan)

The amnesty, granted on the eve of Turkmenistan’s day of National Revival and Unity, was a “tribute to the ancient humanitarian traditions of the nation enshrined in the constitution”, Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, Turkmenistan’s president, told state television. …. Earlier plans to declare the pardon on the May 9 Victory Day holiday were postponed after law enforcers were discovered taking bribes of up to $100,000 from the relatives of prisoners pleading for their release.

Sustained focus needed to improve Turkmen rights (05.04.2009)

(Quelle: Gündogar / Turkmenistan)

As the European Union postpones a decision on a trade agreement with Turkmenistan, NBCentral Asia observers say the pressure needs to be sustained if any improvement in the human rights situation is to be achieved. The European Parliament postponed a vote on the Interim Trade Agreement on March 26, saying the Turkmen authorities must first release political prisoners, providing access to prisons for external experts, remove restrictions on foreign travel and allow non-government groups freedom to operate.

Rights group calls on Turkmenistan to back up promises (27.03.2009)

(Quelle: Gündogar / Turkmenistan)

The Turkmen government should fully implement the recommendations issued by the UN’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the rights watchdog Amnesty International has said. … However, Turkmenistan has not specified what concrete action it intends to take to enforce these recommendations, Amnesty says, while serious violations against human rights defenders, journalists, and dissidents are still cause for concern.

Turkmen election reveals depressingly familiar abuses (16.12.2008)

(Quelle: Gündogar / Turkmenistan)

Observers say the parliamentary election held in Turkmenistan on December 14 was strongly remi-niscent of previous polls held over the 17 years that the country has been independent. The security services exerted tight control over the electoral process, while anecdotal evidence suggests that turnout was low.

Turkmens hold parliamentary poll (14.12.2008)

(Quelle: BBC / UK)

The people of Turkmenistan have voted in the first parliamentary election held after the adoption of a new constitution earlier this year. The Central Election Commission said that turnout was almost 90%. It was the first poll to be held under President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, who has prom-ised to end the Central Asian nation's international isolation. The authorities say the vote is an im-portant democratic step, but critics question the validity of the process.

No real improvement in Turkmenistan’s human rights, experts say (10.12.2008)

(Quelle: RFE/RL / International)

Francois Petre, a Eastern Europe and Central Asia program officer for the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), says there has been no real improvement in the human rights situation in Turkmenistan in recent times. Petre told RFE/RL's Turkmen Service that the improvements that have been made are "facade improvements."

Election observation begins in Turkmenistan (08.12.2008)

(Quelle: EurasiaNet / USA)

A United Nations election observer mission will travel to Turkmenistan on December 12 to take part in the upcoming parliamentary elections, a vote that could prove to be the country’s most scrutinized ballot to date.

Turkmenistan’s silent election candidates (07.12.2008)

(Quelle: Gündogar)

State media outlets do discuss the election, but only in general terms, skating over the candidates and noting instead that the ballot will be monitored by observers from abroad, mainly the former Soviet Union. The campaign for the December 14 parliamentary election in Turkmenistan is so low-key that few people know who their candidates are and fewer still are interested, NBCentralAsia observers say.

Helsinki Commission hears gloomy predictions for turkmen election (24.11.2008)

(Quelle: RFE / RL (International))

Can an authoritarian country that still bears the strong imprint of its Soviet past and has just one po-litical party, no independent media, and prisons full of political opponents hold free and fair elec-tions? The collective answer from a panel of experts who testified November 19 before the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe was "no."

Turkmenistan takes reformist step (26.09.2008)

(Quelle: BBC) The Central Asian state of Turkmenistan has adopted a new constitution that supporters say will promote multi-party politics and the market economy. The measure was passed unanimously by the People's Council, a group of 2,500 tribal elders and local lawmakers. The Council will be abolished and parliament will almost double in size after elections in December.

Turkmen violence “drug related” (14.09.2008)

(Quelle: BBC) Authorities in Turkmenistan say they have 'neutralised' a gang of drug traffickers in a security operation overnight in the capital Ashgabat. The statement contradicted earlier media reports that security forces had been engaged in heavy gun battles with Islamist militants.

Turkmen leader seeks longer term (03.06.2008)

(Quelle: IWPR) The constitutional reforms recently announced in Turkmenistan appear geared toward strengthening the powers of the president rather than achieving a balance of power between executive, legislature and judiciary, NBCentralAsia analysts say. The changes, which will come into effect in September 2008 assuming they are approved, were announced at a meeting of a constitutional committee which opened on May 22.

Berdymukhamedov marks first year as president (11.02.2008)

(Quelle: Eurasianet) It’s been a year since Gurbanguly Berdymukhamdov’s pro forma election as president of Turkmenistan, and it’s clear that despite a lot of talk about reforms, the Central Asian nation is arguably no more open now than it was under the deceased despot Saparmurat Niyazov.

UN opens Regional Preventive Diplomacy Center (11.12.2007)

(Quelle: RFE/RL) The United Nations this week launched a center for diplomacy in Ashgabat intended to help the region tackle its challenges before they spiral out of control. The UN says its Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy, which opened on December 10, will seek to assist the governments of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan in building “capacities to peacefully prevent conflict, in facilitating dialogue, and in catalyzing international support behind projects and initiatives.' It will be headed by a senior representative of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and will have an initial budget of $2.3 million as well as a small international staff.

Army reform may result in further purges (04.06.2007)

(Quelle: IWPR) Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov’s new drive to modernise the armed forces will, say NBCentralAsia observers, offer him an opportunity to purge critical voices among senior military staff and further consolidate his power. On May 25, President Berdymuhammedov, who is supreme commander of Turkmenistan’s armed forces, announced a round of reforms designed to introduce modern standards into the military. The priority areas are the creation of substantial capacity to repair military hardware, and improving the service conditions and living standards of all personnel. … Turkmenistan declared itself neutral in 1993, and its abstention from joining international organisations and defence blocs has meant that the armed forces have not been able to re-equip since the Soviet era.

Rejoining the Central Asian fold? (17.02.2007)

(Quelle: EurasiaNet) Under President Saparmurat Niyazov, Turkmenistan was an extraordinary place -- one of the most repressive nations on earth ruled by one of the maddest hatters ever to occupy a presidential palace. But since Niyazov’s sudden death on December 21, nothing out of the ordinary has transpired. Deputy Prime Minister Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov became acting president, hinted at reforms, ran against five window-dressing opponents in a February 11 presidential election, and won nearly 90 percent of the vote. By Central Asian standards, it hardly merits a shrug. The events that preceded Berdymukhammedov’s inauguration as Turkmenistan’s new president today might have been humdrum by regional standards, but because they took place in a country on which Niyazov impressed what for now seems to be an indelible stamp, they have left opposition figures, international organizations, and even other countries off balance. The new president’s ascent might suggest that Turkmenistan is rejoining the Central Asian fold, but no one seems quite ready to believe it.

Courting Turkmenistan's new leader (14.02.2007)

(Quelle: ISN Security Watch) Berdymukhammedov's inauguration as Turkmenistan's president has completed his legitimization as the new leader of this energy-rich republic. At the inauguration ceremony, which was attended by high-ranking officials from Russia, US, China and other countries, Gurbungali Berdymukhammedov - in appearance, a younger version of the late Turkmenbashi - was sworn in as Turkmenistan's new leader on Wednesday. He pledged continuity, but some say change may result in some uncomfortable diversity as the new dictator may seek less of an anchor to Russia and begin courting China in the long term.

Turkmenistan after Niyazov – new ICG briefing (12.02.2007)

(Quelle: International Crisis Group (ICG)) Turkmenistan after Niyazov , the latest briefing from the International Crisis Group, examines the legacy of the late president, Saparmurat Niyazov, and the situation in the country following the rigged election on 11 February of Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedov as his successor. The international community must make it clear that an end to Turkmenistan's isolation and serious trade and aid relationships require its new government to take the first steps to reverse Niyazov's most egregious policies and improve human rights.

What chance of a thaw? (29.01.2007)

(Quelle: IWPR) The results of next month’s election in Turkmenistan may be a foregone conclusion, but it is far from clear how the situation will develop thereafter. Some analysts and no doubt the country’s interim rulers believe the system created by the late president Saparmurad Niazov can be changed through a process of gradual evolution. Others argue that stability is by no means assured, saying that in a country with a short history of statehood, there are centrifugal forces — mainly in the shape of regional interest groups — that could challenge Niazov’s successors.

Turkmen official says election observers welcome (21.01.2007)

(Quelle: RFE / RL) Turkmen television today quoted Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov as saying that Turkmenistan will allow international observers to monitor next month's presidential elections. The move would make the February 11 vote to replace autocratic President Saparmurat Niyazov the nation's first-ever election monitored by outside observers.

Turkmen election to exclude opposition (08.01.2007)

(Quelle: IWPR) For the last 15 years, the only legal party has been the Democratic [formerly Communist] Party of Turkmenistan – membership of which is compulsory for all officials. ... Acting president Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov was nominated by the Democratic Party as a presidential candidate. The remaining five candidates, including four city and regional officials and the deputy minister of the oil and gas industry, are all members of the Democratic Party.

Turkmen leader proposes vast change to lift isolation (05.01.2007)

(Quelle: New York Times) Turkmenistan’s acting president, Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, who had promised only continuity with the severely authoritarian policies of his predecessor, on Thursday proposed measures that would help lift the nation from its fortresslike isolation. … The proposals, outlined in a speech in Ashgabat, the capital, included giving students access to foreign universities — including those in the United States — sending doctors to Western hospitals to acquire modern skills and extending primary schooling to 10 years.

Race is on for aspiring successors to 'Turkmenbashi' (02.01.2007)

(Quelle: RFE / RL) Campaigning has begun in Turkmenistan for candidates in February's election to replace longtime President Sapamurat Niyazov, who died in December. RFE/RL's Turkmen Service reports that the country's People's Council has selected six candidates, including current acting President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, for the vote on February 11. State media reports that the first meetings of candidates with voters will begin this week and candidates will be given airtime on state television and radio.

Turkmen exile urges interim president to step down (29.12.2006)

(Quelle: New York Times) A leader of the Turkmen opposition in exile demanded Friday that the interim president of Turkmenistan step down and allow for democratic elections in the authoritarian Central Asian nation. But there were signs of disorganization and discord in the opposition ranks. The demand, by Nurmuhkammed Khanomov, leader of the exiled Republican Party of Turkmenistan, was almost certain to be ignored. Interim leaders in Turkmenistan have been consolidating their hold on the country since the death of Saparmurat Niyazov, the Turkmen president, on Dec. 21.

Zerrissen und restlos in Intrigen verzettelt (28.12.2006)

(Quelle: taz) Nach dem Tod des turkmenischen Staatschefs Nijasow schafft es die Opposition im Exil nicht, zusammenzuarbeiten. Ohnehin hat kaum einer Chancen, bei den Präsidentenwahlen anzutreten, weil potenziellen Kandidaten die Einreise verweigert wird.