2008–09 Turkmen parliamentary election
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Parliamentary elections were held in Turkmenistan on 14 December 2008, with a second round held in one constituency on 28 December 2008 and a revote in one constituency on 8 February 2009.[1][2] The number of assembly members was increased from 65 to 125 (while the People's Council was abolished) in constitutional reforms enacted on 26 September 2008.[3] It was the first election since Turkmenistan's independence in which, theoretically, parties other than the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan are allowed to take part since the constitution no longer defined Turkmenistan as a one-party state. However, no legal opposition parties had been set up and the fact that the election took place in single-seat constituencies greatly diminished the opposition's chance of gaining parliamentary representation.