No foreign media coverage of the closely guarded race, no free and fair election as determined by human-rights groups, and no change apparent for Turkmenistan’s voters — 94 percent of whom showed up to the polls today, hoping that President Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov, pictured, would follow up on his vows to increase democracy in the nation. More:

“Critics say that Sunday’s vote was a sham with all the candidates either representing the ruling Democratic Party, the only registered party, or a handful of state-approved independents.


…The government has 10 days to announce the results.


The lack of difference between the candidates has been criticised, even by some local officials.


‘In our district, all the candidates are all practically the same … they are all teachers,” said Orazgeldy Dzhumageldyev, the chairman of a polling station in Gyami, outside Ashgabat. ‘I can’t really say whether any one of them is worse or better than the others.’


Tadzhigul Begmedova, director of the Turkmenistan Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, commented from Bulgaria: ‘Beyond all the pompous declarations, there will be no real change.


‘The hopes many people had that a new president would open up Turkmen society have been shattered.’”

Berdymukhamedov has been president since 2006, after he imprisoned his constitutionally appointed successor, Öwezgeldi Ataýew. Reporters Without Borders noted increased harassment of journalists trying to report on the elections: “Radio Free Europe/ Radio LibertyÂ’s correspondents and regular contributors have been cut off from the rest of the world and closely watched by National Security agents for the past month.”

(Photo: Kremlin)