Turkmenistan was, and
remains, one of the most isolated societies in the
world. Under President Niyazov, who died in December
2006, it was nearly impossible for independent
observers, NGOs and analysts to collect information
about the views, opinions, or thoughts of the Turkmen
public. Except for a few Western European embassies
and the OSCE Mission in Turkmenistan's capital,
Ashgabat, no Western observers could stay in the
country, and journalists were ultimately forced to
leave.
Unfortunately, the political situation did not change
with Niyazov's death. In fact, it got worse. This was
evidenced in the recent Ovadan-Depe prison massacre,
where Turkmen special forces suppressed a riot in a
closely-guarded prison camp outside Ashgabat, leaving
23 people dead. The massacre put to rest any hopes
for a positive transition in Turkmenistan and showed
that the junta, which seized power a month ago, is
determined to continue the reign of terror. Hoping to
legitimize their rule, the junta has scheduled to
stage an election on February 11, 2007, which
analysts agree will be a farce.
Because of Turkmenistan's seclusion, it was and
remains difficult to get an impression of the
electorate's public opinion. ETG is proud to present
one of the first polls, which was supported and
supervised by our organization. With the assistance
of our correspondents in Turkmenistan, ETG-sponsored
pollsters were able to interview over 1,100
individuals from every region in the country.
If you are interested in receiving an electronic
copy, please contact us.