Voters in Turkmenistan have cast ballots for parliament in the country's first multiparty election since independence in 1991.
However, there was no real competition, as both the ruling Democratic Party of Turkmenistan and the Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs created last year, as well as several other groups also on the ballot, all pledge allegiance to President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov.
The December 15 election was the first in the country attended by a delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE) in Europe.
However, both the Parliamentary Assembly and the OSCE human rights office (ODIHR) said they would not issue a report before next February.
The Central Election Commission said that the turnout was 91.3 percent.
Preliminary results are expected on December 16.
However, there was no real competition, as both the ruling Democratic Party of Turkmenistan and the Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs created last year, as well as several other groups also on the ballot, all pledge allegiance to President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov.
The December 15 election was the first in the country attended by a delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE) in Europe.
However, both the Parliamentary Assembly and the OSCE human rights office (ODIHR) said they would not issue a report before next February.
The Central Election Commission said that the turnout was 91.3 percent.
Preliminary results are expected on December 16.
