UN, OSCE Delegations Arrive Ahead Of Turkmen Election

An election billboard in Ashgabat on February 8 (epa)

February 9, 2007 -- Turkmen media reports that a United Nations delegation has arrived in Ashgabat ahead of the February 11 presidential election, RFE/RL's Turkmen Service reports.

State television also reported the arrival of a delegation from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

The delegation is headed by the new president of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Goran Lennmarker. They will hold talks in parlament, meet with officials and visit voting stations in Ashgabat and Akhal province.

The presidential election, called after former President Saparmurat Niyazov died in December, will be the country's first in 15 years.

Although foreign delegations are in Turkmenistan, there are no official foreign monitors there for Sunday's election.

(with material from turkmenistan.ru)