New Turkmen president to be elected Sunday

Turkemistan's first presidential election with more than one candidate will be held on Sunday. There is great anticipation although no one expects any rapid changes. This will be the country's first real poll with six candidates. The authorities have given the ballot extensive publicity and state television has urged all to vote, even promising a "gift" for those "those going to vote for the first time."

The last election was held in June 1992 with 99.5% of votes going to Saparmurat Niyazov, head of the government since the eighties during the Soviet era, when he was secretary of the Turkmen CP and a member of the PCUS central committee. Niyazov clung to power, suffocating any dissident voices and spreading his personality cult until his death on 21 December.

Parliamentary elections were held in 2004 but the only registered party, the ex-Communist Party re-christened as the Democratic Party, won a landslide victory. The frontrunner of tomorrow's poll is Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, ad interim president and ex-minister of health, who was fielded by the only official political party. He has received the most attention from the (state-controlled) media and public support even from Murad Karyev, the head of the central electoral commission. According to the constitution, the ad interim president should have been the Parliament Spokesman, Ovezgeldy Atayev. However, less than two days after Niyazov's death, Atayev was accused of serious crimes and the State Security Council, a previously unknown body, appointed Berdymukhamedov in his place.

The other candidates also cover public posts: Amanyaz Atajykov deputy governor of Dashoguz, Ishanguly Nuryev deputy minister for Industry of gas and mining resources, Mukhammetnazar Gurbanov head of Karabekaul district in Lebap province and two mayors Orazmyrad Garajaev and Ashyrniyaz Pomanov.

Anna Sunder Plassman of Amnesty International said only candidates approved by the regime can compete while opposition parties are still banned.

The opposition in exile has chosen as its candidate Khudaiberdy Orazov, former head of the Central Bank, however he is carrying out his campaign abroad and has described the election as "clownery," foreseeing "a second stage of dictatorship." There is disappointment because the West appears to be more interested in courting the new leadership than in favouring the development of democracy.

Whoever obtains an absolute majority will win otherwise there will be a runoff between the two candidates with the most votes.

All the candidates have promised more private and public freedoms, not least in response to calls from the international community, although they have restricted themselves to pledges like more access to the Internet and more possibility to the travel. But experts believe few changes will be possible in the short-term. Meanwhile, the West, Russia and China are competing for the country's gas and oil. Most of Turkmen gas currently passes via Russian pipelines but western countries have long been suggesting alternative transport routes, something Niyazov did not approve of.

China has reached agreement about the construction of a gas pipeline to receive billions of cubic meters of natural gas for 30 years starting from 2009.

Meanwhile, there will be no foreign observers to monitor the ballot. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said it did not have the time to prepare a monitoring system and will send only a group of observers. AsiaNews/Agencies