A referendum on extending President Saparmurat Niyazov's term until 2002 was held in Turkmenistan on 15 January 1994.[1] Official results showed that the proposal was approved by 99.99% of voters, with a 100% turnout.[1]
Background
editIn 1985, Saparmurat Niyazov, then the first secretary of the Ashgabat Communist Bloc, was handpicked by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev into elite politics as a replacement for Muhammad Gapusov, the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Turkmenistan.[2] This replacement was part of the Central Asian purges in the wake of the Uzbek cotton corruption scandal.[2] In January 1990 Niyazov was elected to the Supreme Soviet of the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic and was appointed as its chairman.[1][2] Two months later, Niyazov was elected by the Supreme Soviet to the new office of president.[1] Following in the footsteps of his predecessor(s), Niyazov prevented Gorbachev-era reforms from having any tangible effect on what was among the most conservative federal republics of USSR.[1][2] Opposition groups were routinely disbanded and members exiled on charges of anti-Soviet activities.[2]
In October 1990 his presidency was "unanimously" confirmed by the masses.[1] A year later he led Turkmenistan to secede from the Soviet Union despite an initial reluctance, and decreed a new constitution that promulgated a presidential government.[2][3] The political atmosphere of the newly independent state remained as conservative as before, with Niyazov finding "classic, democratic formulas [..] that worked out in some prosperous Western country" unsuitable for Turkmenistan.[2] In 1992 Niyazov was re-elected unopposed as president, receiving over 98% of the vote.[1] Following these victories, Niyazov went further in manifesting a totalitarian regime based on a cult of personality.[1][2][3]
Question
editVoters were asked to decide whether to prolong the term of President Niyazov by six years, until 2002.[1] The question was worded "Do you support extending the term of President Saparmurat Niyazov until 2002?"
Results
editAccording to official statistics, 100% of the registered voters (1,959,637) participated in the referendum.[1]
| Choice | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| For | 1,959,408 | 99.99 | |
| Against | 212 | 0.01 | |
| Total | 1,959,620 | 100.00 | |
| Valid votes | 1,959,620 | 100.00 | |
| Invalid/blank votes | 17 | 0.00 | |
| Total votes | 1,959,637 | 100.00 | |
| Registered voters/turnout | 1,959,637 | 100.00 | |
| Source: Nohlen et al.[1] | |||
Aftermath
editThe promised elections were not held in 2002 as Niyazov had himself declared President for life by the Assembly on 28 December 1999.[1] He would rule until his death in 2006.
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Nohlen, Dieter; Grotz, Florian; Hartmann, Christof (2001-11-15). Elections in Asia and the Pacific: A Data Handbook. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/019924958x.003.0022. ISBN 978-0-19-924958-9.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Al-Bassam, Kareem (1997). "The Evolution of Authoritarianism in Turkmenistan" (PDF). Demokratizatsiya: The Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization. 5 (3): 386–405.
- ^ a b Anderson, John (1995-12-01). "Authoritarian political development in Central Asia: The case of Turkmenistan". Central Asian Survey. 14 (4): 509–527. doi:10.1080/02634939508400922. ISSN 0263-4937.