OSCE organizes election visit to France for Turkmenistan officials

Five members of Turkmenistan’s Central Election Commission and Mejlis (Parliament) discussed practices in organizing and conducting parliamentary elections during a working visit to France that concluded on 11 June 2012.

During the five-day visit organized by the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat and the Government of France, the delegation followed the election process of the 10 June parliamentary elections in France.

“Since 2010, the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat has supported a number of election visits for Turkmenistan officials to other OSCE participating States. This visit has a value added, since the delegation members had a chance to see first hand the organization and conduct of parliamentary elections in France,” said Ambassador Ivo Petrov, the Acting Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.

“This visit is expected to further assist Turkmenistan in the implementation of its OSCE election-related commitments and strengthen contacts among election bodies in OSCE participating States.”

The delegation officials held meetings with the Constitutional Council, the Interior Ministry and Senate, as well as the country’s National Commission for Campaign Accounts and Political Financing, the Superior Audiovisual Council, and the Commission on Polls. They discussed the legislative framework regulating elections and different aspects of election organization, administration and procedures, as well as election funding and media coverage.

On election day, the delegation members visited a number of polling stations and observed the vote count.