Today Turkmenistan is holding parliamentary elections. They started at 7 am and will end at 7 pm local time.The elections are being carried out at 2,446 polling stations in Turkmenistan and 33 more polling stations abroad at diplomatic posts. In Russia there are polling stations in Moscow and Astrakhan. A distinctive feature of this election is that it is the first multi-party election in the history of the country. The Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs headed by Orazmammed Mammedov is competing with the ruling Democratic Party headed by Gurbanguli Berdimuhamedov.
283 candidates are running for 125 seats in the Majilis (parliament). The election is conducted on the basis of a single mandate majority election system. 99 candidates have been fielded by the Democratic Party, 21 by the Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, 89 by the Federation of Unions, 37 by the Women's Union, 22 by the Magtumguly Youth Organization and 15 by other groups of citizens.
International observers from the CIS Mission of Observers and the ODIHR of the OSCE are present at the election. Voter turnout must be at least 50% for the election to be considered valid. The final results of the election will be announced by the Central Electoral Commission a week after the event.
