Turkmenistan holds first 'multiparty' polls

The ex-Soviet Central Asian state of Turkmenistan on Sunday holds its first multiparty legislative elections though without any opposition to trouble the dominance of President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov.
Berdymukhamedov has made stabs at political and economic reform in recent years but the gas-rich state remains one of the most isolated nations in the world.
The central election commission confirmed in a statement that the polls for the Majlis parliament will be two-party in nature for the first time in its history.
Challenging the ruling Democratic Party of Turkmenistan for the first time will be the the Party of Industrialists and Businessmen of Turkmenistan which was founded in August 2012.

When the new party was founded, Berdymukhamedov stepped down as head of the Democratic Party and renounced his party membership in a bid to put himself above party politics and let some kind of political system develop.
There are 125 seats up for grabs in the Majlis, with 99 candidates standing for the Democratic Party and 21 for the new Party of Industrialists.
Also competing for seats are dozens of independent but pro-government candidates representing trade unions, women's and youth organisations and civic groups.
"Two or three candidates will be standing for each seat in every district, which corresponds to the principle of plurality and competition in elections," the election commission said.