OREANDA-NEWS. November 20, 2009. The International Electoral Standards were the focus of the roundtable, which was conducted in the conference hall of the Turkmen National Institute for Democracy and Human Rights under President of Turkmenistan (TNIDHR). The forum was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Central Commission for Elections and Referenda of Turkmenistan and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in the framework of the international project aimed at reforming the national electoral system initiated by the Government of Turkmenistan.

The meeting brought together the participants representing the Mejlis of Turkmenistan, the Supreme Court, the Ministry of Justice, the Institute of State and Law under President of Turkmenistan, the Institute for International Relations of the MFA of Turkmenistan, the Commission for Elections and Referenda, the electoral commissions of the velayats and Ashgabat, the public organisations and journalists. UNDP legal consultant Daniel Finn had been invited to the roundtable as an international expert.

The participants noted that further development of the national electoral system was a key aspect of the legal reform initiated by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. Emphasis was put on the significance of the new Constitution of Turkmenistan, which was adopted on September 26, 2008 that had fostered the democratic reforms in the country. The election legislation of Turkmenistan including the new Laws of Turkmenistan “On Elections to Gengesh”, “On Elections to Etrap, Town Halk Maslakhaty” and “ On Elections to Velayat Halk Maslakhaty” brought in compliance with universally recognized international norms and standing as the guarantor of the constitutional rights of citizens – to elect and be elected. This was convincingly illustrated during the recent election campaigns in the country.

The overview of the international standards of the electoral processes was presented at the roundtable. The forum participants had an opportunity to study the international practice of development and codification of election legislation.

The training seminars and workshops would be conducted in the velayats and capital and the study tour would be organized for the members of the electoral commissions under the joint project of the Government of Turkmenistan and the UN Development Programme.