Crossroads Asia

A Closer Look at Turkmenistan’s Election Numbers

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Crossroads Asia

A Closer Look at Turkmenistan’s Election Numbers

The only numbers soaring in Turkmenistan are at the polls; meanwhile the economy deteriorates.

A Closer Look at Turkmenistan’s Election Numbers
Credit: Pixabay

For Central Asia-watchers, the recent presidential in Turkmenistan was as much of a farce as many expected it to be. While Ashgabat presents far more of a political black box than any other regional autocracy, Turkmenistan’s incumbent president, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov — perhaps best known to those outside the region for his physical, tracksuit-clad exploits — didn’t disappoint in the recent vote.

As The Diplomat’s Catherine Putz detailed, over 97 percent of Turkmenistan’s voters, according to official figures, poured into the polls. Ignoring the recent raft of indicators all pointing to economic downturn, voters in Turkmenistan — according to the official story, at least — decided to re-elect Berdymukhamedov by the staggering, and unbelievable, margin of 97.69 percent. As Putz wrote, it was “a crushing victory to rival that of Central Asia’s other wildly successful presidents.” Of course, as with all of Turkmenistan’s prior elections, the recent vote was neither free nor fair. Indeed, this one, as RFE/RL reported, included students fabricating ballots “for the people who will not show up.”

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