Politics of Turkmenistan
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The politics of Turkmenistan takes place in the framework of an authoritarian presidential republic, whereby the President of Turkmenistan is both head of state and head of government. Turkmenistan has a single-party system.
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[edit] Political background
After 69 years as part of the Soviet Union (including 67 years as a union republic), Turkmenistan declared its independence on October 27, 1991.
President for Life Saparmurat Niyazov, a former bureaucrat of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, ruled Turkmenistan from 1985, when he became head of the Communist Party of the Turkmen SSR, until his death in 2006. He retained absolute control over the country after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. On December 28, 1999, Niyazov's term was extended indefinitely by the Mejlis (parliament), which itself had taken office only a week earlier in elections that included only candidates hand-picked by President Niyazov; no opposition candidates were allowed.
The president's party, the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan (the former Communist Party), is the only one legally permitted. Political gatherings are illegal unless government sanctioned.
All citizens are required to carry internal passports, noting place of residence--a practice carried over from the Soviet era. Movement into and out of the country, as well as within its borders, is difficult. Turkmenistan is dominated by a pervasive cult of personality extolling (recently deceased) President Niyazov as Türkmenbaşy ("Leader of all Turkmen"). His face adorns many everyday objects, from banknotes to bottles of vodka. The logo of Turkmen national television is his profile. The two books he has written are mandatory readings in schools and public servants are quizzed yearly about their knowledge of their contents. It is also common in shops and homes. Many institutions are named after his mother. All watches and clocks made must bear his portrait printed on the dial-face. A giant 15-meter (50 feet) tall gold-plated statue of him stands on a rotating pedestal in Ashgabat, so it will always face into the sun and shine light onto the city. President Niyazov recently proclaimed that anyone who reads his book Ruhnama three times will "become more intelligent, will recognise the divine being and will go straight to heaven"[1]. It is, as yet, unknown how his death will affect this.
A slogan popular in Turkmen propaganda is "Halk! Watan! Türkmenbashi!" meaning "People! Motherland! Leader!". Niyazov renamed the days of the week after members of his family and wrote the new Turkmen national anthem/oath himself.
Foreign companies seeking to exploit Turkmenistan's vast natural gas resources cooperated with Niyazov since he also controlled access to the natural resources. His book Ruhnama (or Rukhnama), which is revered in Turkmenistan almost like a holy text, has been translated into 32 languages and distributed for free among major international libraries[2].
The constitution provides for freedom of the press, but the government does not practice it. The government controls all media outlets. Only two newspapers, Adalat and Galkynysh, are nominally independent, but they were created by presidential decree. Cable TV, which had existed in the late 1980s, was shut down.
Activities of all but the officially recognized Russian Orthodox and Sunni Muslim faiths are severely limited. Religious congregations are required to register with the government, and individual parishes must have at least 500 members to register. Severe measures are directed toward religious sects that have not been able to establish official ties of state recognition, especially Baptists, Pentecostals, Seventh-day Adventists, Hare Krishna, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Bahá'ís. Practitioners of these sects have allegedly been harassed, imprisoned, and/or tortured, according to some outside human rights advocacy groups.
Corruption continues to be pervasive. Power is concentrated in the president; the judiciary is wholly subservient to the regime, with all judges appointed for 5-year terms by the president without legislative review. Little has been done to prosecute corrupt officials.
Turkmenistan's "status of permanent neutrality," was accepted by the UN General Assembly on December 12, 1995.
[edit] Executive branch
| Presidents | Term of Office |
|---|---|
| Saparmurat Niyazov | 27 October 1991–21 December 2006 |
| Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedow | 21 December 2006 - |
The president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term. After the death of Niyazov, Deputy Prime Minister Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedow took over, despite the fact that Öwezgeldi Ataýew, the Chairman of the Parliament of Turkmenistan, would be the next in line in the order of succession (allegedly because the prosecutor-general had initiated investigations against Ataýew). The president appoints the deputy chairmen of the cabinet of ministers.
A presidential election to replace Niyazov was held on February 11, 2007.
[edit] Legislative branch
Under the 1992 constitution, there are two parliamentary bodies, a unicameral People's Council or Halk Maslahaty (supreme legislative body of up to 2,500 delegates, some of whom are elected by popular vote and some of whom are appointed; meets at least yearly) and a unicameral Assembly or Mejlis (50 seats (scheduled to be increased to 65); members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms).
Elections: People's Council - last held in April 2003 (next to be held December 2008); Mejlis - last held 19 December 2004 (next to be held December 2008). Election results: Mejlis - DPT 100%; seats by party - DPT 50; note - all 50 elected officials are members of the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan and are preapproved by President Niyazov.
Note: in late 2003, a new law was adopted, reducing the powers of the Mejlis and making the Halk Maslahaty the supreme legislative organ; the Halk Maslahaty can now legally dissolve the Mejlis, and the president is now able to participate in the Mejlis as its supreme leader; the Mejlis can no longer adopt or amend the constitution, or announce referendums or its elections; since the president is both the "Chairman for Life" of the Halk Maslahaty and the supreme leader of the Mejlis, the 2003 law has the effect of making him the sole authority of both the executive and legislative branches of government.
[edit] Political parties and elections
- For other political parties see Democratic Party of Turkmenistan. An overview on elections and election results is included in Elections in Turkmenistan.
| Party | Seats |
|---|---|
| Democratic Party of Turkmenistan | 50 |
| Total (turnout 76.9 %) | 50 |
| Party | Seats |
|---|---|
| Democratic Party of Turkmenistan | 2507 |
| Total (turnout 65 %) | 2507 |
Turkmenistan is a single-party state. Only one political party is legally allowed to hold effective power – the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan.
There have been political parties and opposition groups in the past – a group named Agzybirlik (Unity) was banned in January 1990. Its members formed the Party for Democratic Development which was itself banned in 1991. This led a coalition for democratic reform named Gengesh (Conference).
The latest opposition party operates in exile and is named The Republican Party of Turkmenistan. Since all opposition is banned within Turkmenistan, it was forced to form and operate from abroad.
[edit] Administrative divisions
Turkmenistan is divided into 5 provinces welayatlar (singular - welayat): Ahal Province (Aşgabat), Balkan Province (Balkanabat, formerly Nebitdag), Daşoguz Province (formerly Tashauz), Lebap Province (Turkmenabat), Mary Province
[edit] Foreign policy
Foreign policy of Turkmenistan is based on the status of permanent positive neutrality recognized by the UN General Assembly Resolution on Permanent Neutrality of Turkmenistan on 12 December, 1995. Articles on Turkmenistan's foreign policy as a neutral state:
- Regional Strategy of Ashgabat
- Neutral Factor of Turkmenistan
- The World Recognized Turkmenistan's Neutrality 9 Years Ago
[edit] International organization participation
Turkmenistan is affiliated to the CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
