The International Report
May 24th, 2022
Turkmen "Election" Results Spark Protests & Unrest
ASHGABAT, TURKMENISTAN - With the announcement of Turkmenistani President Usmon Murtazayev's step down from power in mid-April, the prospect of an actual election for the head of state could be called an exercise in futility, though with several key community figures from the cities of Mary, Dashoguz, and Turkmenbashi, it seemed as if that prospect was at least, being seriously entertained for the first time under the Murtazayev regime.
That is until the election results were tallied last week, with a reported 638,920 votes for the President's son and appointed Vice President, Stepan Murtazayev, out of a combined reported turnout of 641,904 "votes".
The evidently rigged election was condemned by several countries across Asia and the West. United States Secretary of State Martha Wyngaard called the election "an insult to the very concept of the electoral process, and one the people of Turkmenistan won't likely forget." Neighboring Uzbekistani Foreign Minister Surat Nurmatov stressed concern over a potential backlash by the Turkmen people that may spill into the neighboring nation. "There are no such things as a problem limited to one of [our countries] us... Every concern here which affects one of us affects all in this part of the world, and raises equal concern."
There were limited specific reports as to the overall feeling among Turkmen citizens, but a livestream showing a large crowd of several thousand protesters was visible via several social media outlets for around an hour yesterday evening before ending abruptly. Internet access is relatively widespread across Turkmenistan, but severely restricted and throttled to traffic beyond most Turkmen-hosted domains. Additionally, foreign press outside of the government-controlled National News (TNN) is severely restricted and often prohibited from airing live broadcasts, requiring screening and editing by the state first to ensure all footage released portrays the nation, government, and its people in the best possible way.
The newly confirmed Turkmen leader assumed office last week as protests across various villages and towns throughout Turkmenistan continued on, seemingly growing in size and intensity by the day. The Turkmen military has been deployed in limited numbers to support local police efforts but has remained largely hands-off from any attempts to disrupt or disband the protesters, likely to mitigate any sort of escalation as a result of their deployment in the face of the resentment felt by Turkmen citizens, particularly throughout the village cities of Mary, Turkmenbashi, and Dashoguz. However, the anger and betrayal of a fixed election aren't soon to dissipate, and with both local and international skepticism emerging, the 38-year-old new President Stepan Murtazayev will have an uphill battle to convince the Turkmen people and the world of any merit stemming from his quasi-election and ascent to his position as the leader of Turkmenistan.
AUTHORIZED FOR DISTRIBUTION BY 1-506th S-2Reviewed By: 1LT Jason Mallory
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