Democratic Party of Turkmenistan

The Democratic Party of Turkmenistan (Turkmen: Türkmenistanyň Demokratik Partiýasy; Turkmen pronunciation: [tyɾkme̞nɪθtɑnɨŋ dɛmokɾɑtɪk pɑɾtɪjɑθɨ]; TDP) has been the ruling party of Turkmenistan since 1991.

Democratic Party of Turkmenistan
Türkmenistanyň Demokratik Partiýasy
AbbreviationTDP (Turkmen)
ДПТ (Russian)
LeaderAta Serdarov
FounderSaparmurat Niyazov
Founded16 December 1991 (1991-12-16)
Preceded byCommunist Party of Turkmenistan
HeadquartersAshgabat
NewspaperGalkynyş gazeti
Youth wingMagtymguly Youth Organisation of Turkmenistan[1]
Membership (2019)211,000
IdeologyTurkmen nationalism
Social conservatism[2][3]
Colours  Green
  Gold
Slogan"The state is for the people"
(Turkmen: "Döwlet adam üçindir")
Seats in the Assembly of Turkmenistan
55 / 125
Website
tdp.gov.tm

The party was led by former Soviet provincial party leader Saparmurat Niyazov from the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s until his death in 2006. In 2013, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow suspended his party membership for the duration of his presidency.[4] The current leader is Ata Serdarov.[5] Their rule is described as authoritarian.[6][2][3][7]

History

The DPT was created following the dissolution of the Soviet Union as a successor party to the Communist Party of Turkmenistan. The internal structure of the old party was effectively unchanged in the transition, as was the old guard. The DPT has faced limited and sporadic challenges from alternative political parties in the past but have never faced a significant challenge during an election because of the often repressive nature of politics in the country. Opposition parties are usually crushed before they make any significant grounds in public opinion. This has been the case even after the formal legalization of opposition parties in 2010.

Chairmen
No. Picture Name

(Birth–Death)

 Took office Left office Notes
Chairman
1 Saparmurat Niyazov

(1940–2006)

 16 December 1991 21 December 2006 Died in office
2 Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow

(born 1957)

 4 August 2007 18 August 2013 Acting Chairman: 21 December 2006 – 4 August 2007
3 Kasymguly Babaev

(born 1966)

 18 August 2013 3 April 2018
4 Ata Serdarov

(born 1964)

 3 April 2018 Incumbent

Policies

Due to the lack of opposition parties to contest for government, the DPT controls most, if not all, industries of significant revenue directly. Central planning is a key element of party policy and serves as the basis of functionality for government services. The party's ideology of "Turkmen nationalism" was theorized by former party leader Saparmurat Niyazov for the purpose of an authoritarian state ideology in Turkmenistan.[8]

Election results
Main article: Elections in Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan elects on the national level a head of state - the president - and a legislature. Elections in Turkmenistan have been widely criticized for being completely fraudulent and attempting to give an appearance of legitimacy to what is in reality a dictatorship.

Presidential elections

The last presidential election was held in 2022.[9]

Election Party candidate Votes % Result
1992 Saparmurat Niyazov 1,874,357 99.5% Elected Y
2007 Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow 2,357,120 89.23% Elected Y
2012 2,806,265 97.14% Elected Y
2017 3,090,610 97.69% Elected Y
2022 Serdar Berdimuhamedow 72.92% Elected Y

Assembly of Turkmenistan

The Assembly is a 125-member legislative body officially led by the President of Turkmenistan. The DPT, not unlike every other facet of political life in Turkmenistan, holds a majority of seats, with accusations that the "multi-party system" established in the early 2010s only consists of parties loyal to the DPT. The last election for the assembly was held in 2018.

Election Party leader Votes % Seats +/– Position
1994 Saparmurat Niyazov 2,008,701 100%
50 / 50
 50 1st (sole legal party)
1999 2,224,537 100%
50 / 50
 1st (sole legal party)
2004 1,915,000 100%
50 / 50
 1st (sole legal party)
2008 Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow 2,594,658 100%
125 / 125
 75 1st (sole legal party)
2013 Kasymguly Babaev 37.6%
47 / 125
 78 1st
2018
55 / 125
 8 1st

See also

References
  1. "VI Congress of Magtymguly Youth Organization of Turkmenistan in Ashgabat". tdh.gov.tm. Turkmenistan Today, Government of Turkmenistan. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  2. Anderson, John (1995). "Authoritarian political development in Central Asia: The case of Turkmenistan". Central Asian Survey. 14 (4): 509–527. doi:10.1080/02634939508400922.
  3. Elena, Dmitrieva (2019). "Political elite of Turkmenistan. Post-Soviet period". Russia and the moslem world. pp. 49–58. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  4. "Turkmen president quits top party". 18 August 2013 – via Japan Times Online.
  5. "Chairman of Turkmenistan's Democratic Party elected". Trend News Agency. 3 April 2018.
  6. "Turkmenistan". freedomhouse.org. Freedom House. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  7. Al-Bassam, Kareem (1997). The Evolution of Authoritarianism in Turkmenistan. Demokratizatsiya. p. 387,394,400. S2CID 36015864.
  8. "European Forum for Democracy and Solidarity". www.europeanforum.net. Archived from the original on 23 December 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  9. "Turkmenistan leader's son wins presidential election". AP NEWS. Associated Press. 15 March 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

Sources
  • Country Studies accessed on 31 July 2008
  • Badykova, Najia (2004-06-18). "The Turkmen Economy: Challenges and Opportunities". St Antony's College, University of Oxford. Retrieved on 31 July 2008.
  • BBC: Turkmenistan's 'sham poll' closes. Sunday, 19 December 2004, 17:22 GMT
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