The history of Turkmenistan is largely shrouded in mystery, its past since the arrival of Indo-European Iranian tribes around 2000 BC is often the starting point of the area's discernible history. Early tribes were nomadic or semi-nomadic due to the arid conditions of the region as 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, Scythians/Sakas, and early Soghdians. 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 takes place in the framework of a presidential republic, whereby the President of Turkmenistan is both head of state and head of government. No true opposition parties are allowed; every registered political party supports the second and current President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow.
Turkmenistan's human rights record has been heavily criticized by various countries and scholars worldwide. Standards in education and health declined markedly during the rule of President Saparmurat Niyazov.
Turkmenization is the set of domestic policies the Niyazov administration used in Turkmenistan from 1991 to December 2006 to force ethnic minorities to adopt Turkmen culture. Those who resisted the state-sponsored cultural transformation were often deported.
Gurbanguly Mälikgulyýewiç Berdimuhamedow is a Turkmen politician who has served as the President of Turkmenistan since February 2007. Berdimuhamedow, a dentist by profession, served in the government under President Saparmurat Niyazov as Minister of Health beginning in 1997 and as Vice-President beginning in 2001. He became Acting President following Niyazov's death on 21 December 2006 and subsequently won the February 2007 presidential election. He faced no meaningful opposition in the vote and won by an overwhelming margin (89.23%). In the February 2012 presidential election, he was re-elected with 97% of the vote. In the February 2017 presidential election, he was re-elected to a third term with 97.69% of the votes.
Presidential elections were held in Turkmenistan on February 11, 2007, following the death of President for life Saparmurat Niyazov on 21 December 2006.
The Galkynysh Gas Field, formerly known as Iolotan gas field or South Yolotan – Osman field, is a large natural gas field near Ýolöten in Mary Province of Turkmenistan. It is the world's second-largest gas field.
Nurmuhammet Çaryýewiç Hanamow is a Turkmen politician. Although he served as the ambassador of Turkmenistan to Turkey and Israel during 2002, he is best known currently for his role as co-chairman of the Republican Party of Turkmenistan.
Boris Orazovich Shikhmuradov was Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan from 1995 to 2000. He was sentenced to life imprisonment after he was convicted of participation in a plot against Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov in 2002. Little is known about his life is prison; it's even unknown if he is still alive.
Parliamentary elections to the Mejlis (Assembly) 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 defines 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.
Army General Agageldi Mammetgeldiyevich Mammetgeldiyev is a Turkmen military officer who served as Minister of Defense of Turkmenistan from 2003 to 2009. He is nicknamed the "Grey Cardinal".
Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov ; 19 February 1940 – 21 December 2006) was a Turkmen politician who served as the leader of 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 d'état attempt. He continued to lead Turkmenistan for 15 years after independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Presidential elections were held in Turkmenistan on 12 February 2012. 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.
The Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs is a political party in Turkmenistan. The party originated in August 2012 as 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 Party is widely seen as a tool of the ruling DPT to prevent criticism over Turkmenistan being a single-party state rather than having an actual opposition party.
Saparmamed Nepeskuliev is a freelance journalist who has contributed to Alternative Turkmenistan News, a human rights group based in The Netherlands, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, a U.S.-sponsored independent media organization under the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Until July 2015, he worked in Turkmenistan reporting on "poverty, official privilege, failing infrastructure, and deficient schools" when he was detained on July 7 at the Awaza resort by agents from the Turkmen National Security Ministry. As of July 13, 2016, he still remains in prison. According to Freedom House's 2016 report on Global Press Freedom, Turkmenistan is the second least press-free country in the world.
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 97% of the vote, similar to the results of the 2012 elections.
Lieutenant Colonel Serdar Berdimuhamedow is a Turkmen politician and the son of the country’s President, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow. He has widely been considered to be the apparent successor to his father. Although little was known about him until recent times, Serdar rose to the political spotlight following his appointment as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in April 2018. Prior to that he had been a manager at the State Agency for Management and Use of Hydrocarbon Resources.
Since its inception in 1993, the Ministry of Adalat (Justice) of Turkmenistan has regulated the activities of the country's justice bodies. The ministry provides legal support to the state, and performs other tasks assigned by the Law of Turkmenistan to ensure the protection of the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of the Turkmen citizen. In 2003, the Ministry of Justice was renamed as the Ministry of Adalat. Adalat is the Turkic word for justice, and the change in terminology was intended to convey fairness, honor, and order within the ministry's affairs. The Ministry of Adalat (Justice) was also given new responsibilities that included inventorying all state-owned and private properties and overseeing the lawyers, notaries, and civil-registration offices in Turkmenistan.
The State Border Guard Service (SBS) also commonly known by its paramilitary force as the Turkmen Border Troops is a border guard agency of the Armed Forces of Turkmenistan. It is currently a Public Service department of the government of the country and is under the command of the National Security Committee of Turkmenistan.
