On Tuesday 14 February, the spokesperson for the European External Action Service (EEAS) asked the authorities of Turkmenistan to deal with the weaknesses noted at its presidential election on 12 February. The voting resulted in the re-election of Gourbangouly Berdymoukhamedov with 98% of the votes for a third mandate, in the face of eight other candidates who were virtually unknown.
It is "evident that the absence of a functioning opposition, insufficient separation of powers between different branches of government, and the state monopoly over the media sector had a negative impact on the election campaign and limited citizens' ability to choose between real political alternatives", the EEAS spokesperson stated in a press release. "These weaknesses, alongside additional significant shortcomings related to the freedoms of expression, of peaceful assembly and of the media, as well as access to information, should be effectively addressed by Turkmenistan's authorities", the spokesperson added, saying that the European Union stood ready to assist in this process.
In addition, the spokesperson hailed the fact that the candidates from opposition political parties, and those nominated by citizens' initiatives, were able to register and run in the election. The spokesperson also hailed the invitation from the authorities of Turkmenistan to the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) to observe the election.
The EEAS spokesperson stated that the EU was ready to work with the re-elected president of Turkmenistan to step up its current engagement with this country's government and its people. (Original version ion French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)