Turkmen Citizens Use Presidential Election as Opportunity to Speak Out

Inside Turkmenistan, a state known as one of the most repressive on earth, some citizens treated the recent presidential election as an opportunity to express opinions about the country's past, present and future.

The election, held February 11, was roundly condemned by Western international organizations and rights activists as rigged. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. The likely winner, Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, has expressed a desire to implement reforms, but the authoritarian manner in which the voting was conducted seems to have greatly diminished Western expectations for change in Turkmenistan, at least over the medium term.

Turkmen citizens, queried on election day, expressed hope that Berdymukhammedov genuinely desires to open the totalitarian system established by his predecessor Saparmurat Niyazov, who died suddenly in late December. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. "The mood in the country since Niyazov's death is one of thaw," said a Turkmen national. "It's not like the thaw of the 1960s, where people went out into the streets with guitars. But now, there is more of a feeling of optimism." In a reflection of the far-reaching nature of political repression in Turkmenistan, all Turkmen citizens who spoke to EurasiaNet for this article did so on condition of anonymity out of fear of official retribution.

One Ashgabat resident detected an element of glasnost', or openness, in some state-controlled media outlets, including the official newspaper Neutralny Turkmenistan. "I've voted many times. This was like any other vote. What was different this time was the pre-election period," the Ashgabat resident said.

"What was different for me was that it was interesting to read the newspaper, to read the comments of average citizens. I know many of them personally -- they are real people. I actually enjoy reading Neutralny Turkmenistan now!" the resident continued. "Mostly they wrote to urge candidates to introduce reforms in agriculture, private enterprise, education [and] pensions. What is gratifying is that people were expressing specific concerns, which never happened before."

Another resident of the Turkmen capital suggested that the level of optimism about Turkmenistan's future depended greatly on the age of the beholder: young people tended to be far more hopeful than those in older generations. "The country is very divided," the Ashgabat resident said. "A lot depends on your age. The older generation has completely lost hope and any faith that things will change for the better. Some young people are more optimistic and want to believe things will be better."

The presidential election offered a rare chance for citizens to interact with political leaders. "I voted and used the opportunity to go up to the hakim representative [mayoral aide] to express my concerns about our neighborhood, how the buildings are falling down