Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Nov. 15
By Huseyn Hasanov - Trend:
The campaign for nominating the candidates for deputies of the Turkmen Majlis (parliament) will be completed on Nov. 15, Turkmenistan's Central Election Commission (CEC) said on Friday.
"It is expected that at least two candidates from each constituency will run for the national parliament," the statement said.
The CEC said that in particular, the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan (DPT), the Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan (PPT), a number of public organizations - trade unions, the Women's Union and the National Youth Organization of Turkmenistan nominated their candidates in Ashgabat.
Two political parties will for the first time defend the right for mandates of national parliamentarians on the basis of the law 'On political parties' adopted last year. In August of 2012 the PPT was approved on its base with the participation of 300 delegates.
The only political organization - the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan (DPT) headed by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, has been operating in Turkmenistan hitherto. In August 2013 the president made the decision to withdraw himself from the duties of the chairman of this political structure.
Recently, Berdimuhamedov stressed the need for openness and transparency in conducting parliamentary elections. Their progress, is expected to be observed by the national observers and invited experts, as well as observers from many foreign countries and international organizations, such as the European Union (EU), the CIS and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
The term of Majlis deputies' is five years. The basic structure of the current parliament was elected in December 2008.