CENTRAL COMMISSION FOR HOLDING ELECTIONS AND REFERENDUMS IN TURKMENISTAN
As we know, the preparations for the elections of members of Mejlis of Turkmenistan, velayat, etrap, city halk maslahats and Gengeshes which will be held on March 26, 2023, are ongoing.
Currently, the Central Commission for holding Elections and referendums in Turkmenistan and relevant election commissions are conducting organized preparations for the March 2023 elections in accordance with the Constitution of Turkmenistan and the Election code of Turkmenistan. More precisely, the borders of the constituencies for the elections which will be held on March were analyzed, published in the central and regional newspapers and brought to the attention of the public.
However, nomination of candidates which is one of the important stages of the election season continues in an organized manner.
We also had a conversation with Aman Amanov, a lawyer at the office of the Central Commission for holding Elections and referendums in Turkmenistan, about who can be nominated as candidates in these elections, and recorded what he said.
— Who can be nominated in the upcoming spring elections on March 26, 2023?
— As it is known, according to the article 44 of the Election code of Turkmenistan, the right to nominate candidates belongs to political parties registered before the appointed day of the elections, as well as to citizens’ groups.
Thus, a citizen of Turkmenistan who has turned twenty-five years old before the elections day and has been permanently resident in Turkmenistan for the last ten years can be nominated as a candidate for the deputy of Mejlis of Turkmenistan.
Citizens of Turkmenistan who have reached the age of twenty-one before the day of elections and live in the relevant territory can be nominated for the membership of the velayat, etrap, city halk maslahaty, Gengesh.
A person who has not been dismissed voluntarily or has not been dismissed in accordance with the law by the time of his appointment cannot be nominated.
In accordance with the legislation of Turkmenistan, if the candidate's position does not coincide with the mandate of Mejlis’s deputy, velayat, etrap, city halk maslahaty, Gengesh’s member, he/she shall notify the relevant election commission in writing that he/she is resigning or that he/she intends to resign from the post held in case of election.
— Please, talk about the order of meetings and meetings held by political parties to present candidates!
—- According to the article 45 of the Election code of Turkmenistan, political parties may present candidates for deputies to Mejlis of Turkmenistan at meetings (congresses, conferences, general meetings) of their central, velayat, etrap, city organizations.
Candidates for the membership of the velayat, etrap, and city halk maslahaty are presented at the meetings of the velayat, etrap, and city organizations of political parties, and candidates for the membership of Gengesh are presented at the meetings of the etrap, city organizations of the political parties, and at the meetings of their first organizations.
Political parties have the right to hold joint meetings and meetings to nominate the candidates.
Political parties can nominate several candidates for the deputies of Mejlis, velayat, etrap, city halk maslahat, for the membership of Gengesh, but only one candidate for each constituency.
Political parties that jointly nominate a candidate do not have the right to nominate a candidate independently for that constituency.
An unlimited number of candidates may be discussed at the meetings of political parties and at the meetings of their primary organizations. Every person who participates in the meeting on nomination of candidates has the right to propose candidates, to participate in their discussion, to support or reject them, and even to propose to be discussed in order to nominate himself as a candidate.
— Now, tell us about the features of organized presentation of candidates by political parties!
— Due to the fact that four-level elections are held in the country in one day:
Candidates for the deputy of Mejlis of Turkmenistan and for the membership of the velayat, etrap, city halk maslahaty can be nominated together at the same political party's mejlis of the velayat, etrap, city organization.
However, in the same mejlis of the etrap and city organization of the political party, the candidates for the deputy of Mejlis of Turkmenistan and the member of the velayat halk maslahaty are nominated by the constituency belonging to the territory of the district and city.
If there is no primary organization of a political party in the city in etrap, township, gengeshlik, then candidates can be nominated for the membership of the Gengesh in the same mejlis of the etrap or city organization of the political party.
In this regard, the general minutes of the mejlis of the political party's of velayat, etrap, city organization on nomination of candidates should be sent separately to each velayat, etrap, city, district and gengeshlik election commission that registers candidates for each election.
— Please, tell about the conduct of meetings for nomination of candidates by groups of citizens!
— In accordance with article 47 of the Election code of Turkmenistan, at least two hundred of the voters living within the constituency at the meeting of the groups of citizens for nominating candidates for the deputies of Mejlis of Turkmenistan, at least one hundred of the voters living within the constituency at the meeting of the groups of citizens for nominating candidates for the etrap, city halk maslahaty, and at least fifty of the voters living within the constituency attend to the meeting of the groups of citizens to nominate candidates for the membership of the Gengesh, it is considered authorized.
Each voter can participate in only one meeting of the groups of citizens, this rule applies to the meetings held to nominate candidates for the membership in the representative body at the same level. Participants of the meeting are subject to registration, the registration list shows the last name, first name, patronymic, date of birth, place of residence of each voter. Each voter signs the registration list.
At each meeting of the groups of citizens they can nominate only one candidate for the deputy of Mejlis, the member of the velayat, etrap, city halk maslahaty, and for the membership of Gengesh. If more than half of the citizens participating in the meeting vote in favor of the candidate, then he/she is considered to be a candidate.
In the year named "Happy youth with Arkadag Serdar" which will be written with golden letters on the pages of the new history of Turkmenistan, that is, elections of the deputies of Mejlis of Turkmenistan, members of velayat, etrap, city halk maslahaty and members of Gengeshes which will be held on March 26, 2023 will be one of the most important socio-political events in the history of our democratic, legal and secular state.
– Thank you very much for your comments!
The conversation was recorded by H. OVEZOV.