OSCE Centre facilitates election visit to Norway for Turkmenistan officials
OSLO, 13 September 2011 – A delegation of high-level members of Turkmenistan’s Central Election Commission and Mejlis (Parliament) exchanged views on practical aspects and modern methods of regulating, organizing and conducting elections during a working visit to Norway that concluded today.
Organized by the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, the Norwegian Foreign Ministry and the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights under the University of Oslo, the six-day visit aimed to assist Turkmenistan in the implementation of its OSCE election-related commitments and facilitate co-operation among OSCE participating States.
“Fair, democratic and transparent elections are at the core of a true democratic society,” said Ambassador Sergei Belyaev, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.
“The OSCE Centre welcomes Turkmenistan’s programmes to improve the legislative framework regulating elections, which are especially important for the upcoming presidential elections in February 2012. We remain committed to supporting Turkmenistan in its efforts to further advance the national election system, and this visit is a practical step in this direction.”
During the visit, the delegation followed the election process and electoral procedures of Norway’s 12 September municipal elections.
The delegation held meetings with the Norwegian Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development in charge of election organization, National Broadcaster, political parties, Parliament and municipality of Oslo. During the meetings, election officials from Turkmenistan discussed with their Norwegian counterparts issues related to the transparency and fairness of the election process, international standards for elections and election observation and practical aspects of e-voting.
The officials also exchanged experience in the organization of election campaigns and addressed the role of the media in elections.
This is the latest in a series of OSCE-organized study visits to other OSCE participating States for members of Turkmenistan’s Central Election Commission that started last year.