 | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
 Results by region | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
 |
|---|
Presidential elections were held in Turkmenistan on 12 February 2012. [1] They were Turkmenistan's fourth presidential elections and decided who would be the country's president for the next five years. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow won with 97% of the vote.
All of them are members of Turkmenistan's only political party, the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan. [5]
Campaigning started in October 2011. [8] During the campaign many of the candidates running against the incumbent president expressed their support for him, thus giving rise to suspicions that his victory was more or less guaranteed. [3] According to an expert from the Chatham House, "the vote [was] a democratic sham" and an example of "faux democracy". [9]
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow | Democratic Party | 2,806,265 | 97.14 | |
| Annageldi Ýazmyradow | Democratic Party | 1.07 | ||
| Ýarmuhammet Orazgulyýew | Democratic Party | 1.02 | ||
| Rejep Bazarow | Democratic Party | 0.28 | ||
| Saparmyrat Batyrow | Democratic Party | 0.19 | ||
| Kakageldi Abdullaýew | Democratic Party | 0.16 | ||
| Gurbanmämmet Mollaniýazow | Democratic Party | 0.08 | ||
| Esendurdy Gaýypow | Democratic Party | 0.06 | ||
| Total | ||||
| Total votes | 2,888,887 | – | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 2,987,324 | 96.70 | ||
| Source: Tass, Turkmenistan Info | ||||
The history of Turkmenistan traditionally began with the arrival of Indo-European Iranian tribes around 2000 BC. Early tribes were nomadic or semi-nomadic due to the arid conditions of the region, preventing widespread adoption of agriculture. The steppe culture in Central Asia was an extension of a larger Eurasian series of horse cultures which spanned the entire spectrum of language families, including the Indo-Europeans and Turko-Mongol groups. Some of the known early Iranian tribes included the Massagatae, the Scythians/Sakas, and early Soghdians, who were most likely precursors of the Khwarezmians. Turkmenistan was a passing point for numerous migrations and invasions by tribes, which gravitated towards the settled regions of the south, including ancient Mesopotamia, Elam, and the Indus Valley civilization.
The politics of Turkmenistan nominally takes place in the framework of a presidential republic, whereby the President of Turkmenistan is nominally both head of state and head of government. However, as of 21 January 2023 a "national leader" was appointed who chairs an independent People's Council (viz.) with authority to amend the constitution, and who exercises supreme political authority. No true opposition parties are allowed; every registered political party supports the third and current President Serdar Berdimuhamedow. The country is frequently described as a totalitarian state.
Turkmenistan elects on national level a head of state — the president — and a legislature. The elections in Turkmenistan since its split from the Soviet Union have been widely criticized for being neither free nor fair and attempting to give an appearance of legitimacy to what is in reality a dictatorship. Parties in Turkmenistan are the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan and the Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. The president has a seven-year term, while the legislature has a five-year term.
The president of Turkmenistan, officially the president and chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan, is the head of state and head of government of Turkmenistan. The president is also the supreme commander in chief of the Armed Forces of Turkmenistan and heads the State Security Council.
The People's Council of Turkmenistan is Turkmenistan's independent "representative body" exerting supreme constitutional authority. It includes in its membership, but is not considered part of, the legislature. Among other things, it is empowered to amend the constitution. Its chairperson is appointed by the president and is designated the "National Leader". State media referred to the People's Council as the "supreme organ of government authority". From 2018 to 2023 it was the upper chamber of Turkmenistan's Parliament, the "National Council".
Gurbanguly Mälikgulyýewiç Berdimuhamedow is a Turkmen politician who is currently the chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan. He previously served as the 2nd President of Turkmenistan from 2006 to 2022, when he entered into a power-sharing arrangement with his son, Serdar, the current president.
Presidential elections were held in Turkmenistan on 11 February 2007, following the death of president-for-life Saparmurat Niyazov on 21 December 2006.
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. The number of assembly members was increased from 65 to 125 in constitutional reforms enacted on 26 September 2008. 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.
Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov, also known as Türkmenbaşy, was a Turkmen politician who ruled Turkmenistan from 1985 until his death in 2006. He was first secretary of the Turkmen Communist Party from 1985 until 1991 and supported the 1991 Soviet coup attempt. He continued to rule Turkmenistan for 15 years after independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
The Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan is a political party in Turkmenistan. The party originated in August 2012 as the first legal opposition party in the country. On 10 June 2013 Party leader Ovezmammed Mammedov was elected to the Assembly of Turkmenistan in a by-election held for five vacant seats.
The Turkmen Air Force is the air force branch of the Armed Forces of Turkmenistan. It was formed from former Soviet Air Forces units within that region of the Turkestan Military District. The Turkmen Air Force inherited some 300 Soviet aircraft, and has pilots trained in Ukraine.
Presidential elections were held in Turkmenistan on 12 February 2017. This was Turkmenistan's fifth presidential election and decided who would be the country's president for the next seven years. Incumbent President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow won with more than 97% of the vote, similar to the results of the 2012 elections.
The Turkmen Independence Day Parade is one of the main events celebrating the Independence of Turkmenistan from the Soviet Union in 1991. Independence Day is the main holiday of Turkmenistan. The parade is held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan every year and is the largest and most frequent military parade in Central Asia.
The third inauguration of Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov as the President of Turkmenistan took place on Friday, 17 February 2017 inside the halls of the Ruhyýet Palace, in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. It marked the commencement of the third seven-year term of Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. He secured a third term in office by winning 97.69 percent of the vote in the national elections that took place on February 12, 2017.
Serdar Gurbangulyýewiç Berdimuhamedow is a Turkmen politician serving as the third and current president of Turkmenistan since 19 March 2022. Berdimuhamedow had previously served in several other positions within the government of his father, Gurbanguly, the long-standing authoritarian ruler of Turkmenistan. The father and son entered into a power-sharing arrangement in 2022 whereby they jointly rule an authoritarian system of government in Turkmenistan.
The Independent Honor Guard Battalion of the Ministry of Defence of Turkmenistan is the official ceremonial unit of the Armed Forces of Turkmenistan that serves as a guard of honour unit. The battalion guards the Independence Monument, the National Museum of Turkmenistan and the Presidential Palace in Ashgabat. The battalion was formed in 1992 as one of the first purely ceremonial units of the Turkmen Armed Forces. The battalion is composed of two infantry companies and also maintains a cavalry company. The Turkmen Internal Troops, Turkmen Border Troops, and Turkmen National Guard are separate from the battalion.
Major General Akmurad Nazarovich Kabulov is a Turkmen general and politician.
People's Council elections were held in Turkmenistan on 28 March 2021 to elect 48 of the 56 members of the People's Council or Halk Maslahaty. Another eight were appointed by the president on 14 April 2021.
The Agrarian Party of Turkmenistan is a registered political party in Turkmenistan, founded on September 28, 2014.
Early presidential elections were held in Turkmenistan on 12 March 2022. The elections were called after incumbent president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow announced his intention to resign.
| Presidential elections | |
|---|---|
| Assembly elections | |
| People's Council elections | |
| Local elections | |
| Referendums | |
