A/HRC/10/79 Page 4 which Turkmenistan acknowledges priority of the norms of international law. The principle of the precedence of international treaties over national legislation is now enshrined in the Constitution. 9. The principle of the separation of powers between the executive, judiciary and legislature has been enshrined in the new Constitution. Reference to the terms of office of judges has been eliminated from the Constitution, allowing for development of the principle of independence of the judiciary. The highest legislative body is Parliament. Judicial functions are now the sole responsibility of judges in Turkmenistan. 10. On 14 December 2008, Turkmenistan will hold elections for the new Parliament. Under the new Constitution, 125 deputies will be elected, as against 65 deputies before the reform. The deputies will elect the President of the Parliament by secret vote, not openly as in the past. The right to be elected or to elect people under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is enshrined, as is the presumption of innocence. The category of citizens who have the right to elect or be elected has also been extended. For persons in detention, before they are sentenced, conditions will be created to implement their right to vote. At the invitation of the Electoral Commission of Turkmenistan, the elections will be observed by both national and foreign observers. At present, the Electoral Commission has registered 40 international observers from Commonwealth of Independent States countries. 11. The rights and freedoms of the citizens of Turkmenistan have been broadened. Implementing recommendations of the treaty bodies, the constitutional article on equality of rights of citizens has been extended to include race and gender. Article 19 guarantees equal rights and freedoms for citizens regardless of their nationality, race, gender, origin, wealth, position, place of residence, language, religion, political convictions, affiliation with a political party or lack thereof. 12. Recognizing the need to develop the private sector, the new Constitution has a new article 10 on State support for private enterprise. 13. The new Constitution will give an impetus to the work of the two commissions working on a permanent basis: the State Commission on improving and reforming legislation, and the inter-agency State Commission on implementing the State’s international human rights obligations. They are currently looking at all legislation and bringing it into line with the Constitution, which is the highest law, has direct application and takes precedence over other national laws. 14. Bringing legislation into line with the standards of international conventions and the recommendations of treaty bodies is a primary task for the State. The list of conventions has been increased by accession to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. There is an ongoing process to prepare recommendations for the Government with regard to accession to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. International cooperation, in all areas, without exception, will facilitate successful implementation of the State’s reform process. Important factors that will ensure Turkmenistan meets its international treaty obligations include constant consultations with United Nations agencies in Turkmenistan, joint measures to increase awareness, within and outside Government, and technical cooperation at the request of the Government in various areas. At present, technical assistance is needed in preparing reports on the recommendations of