Government & politics — Turkmenistan

• history: several previous;
• latest adopted 14 September 2016 amendments: proposed by the Assembly or Mejlis; passage requires two-thirds majority vote or absolute majority approval in a referendum; amended several times, last in 2023 (changed legislature from bicameral to unicameral Assembly or Mejlis; reestablished People's Council or Halk Maslahaty and named former president Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOV as National Leader of the Turkmen people

• chief of state: President Serdar BERDIMUHAMEDOV (since 19 March 2022); note - the president is
• President Serdar BERDIMUHAMEDOV (since 19 March 2022) cabinet: Cabinet o
• f Ministers appointed by the president elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 7-year term (no term limits); election last held on 12 March 2022 (next to be held in 2029); note - on 11 February 2022, President Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOV announced his intent to retire,
• setting up the early presidential election election results: 2022: Serdar BERDIMUHAMEDOV elected president; percent of vote - Serdar BERDIMUHAMEDOW (DPT) 73%, Khydyr NUNNAYEV (independent) 11.1%, Agadzhan BEKMYRADOV (IAP) 7.2%, other 8.7%; note - Serdar BERDIMUHAMEDOV is
• the son of previous president Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOV 2017: Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOV reelected president in the first round; percent of vote - Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW (DPT) 97.7%, other 2.3%

Description

unicameral Assembly or Mejlis (125 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed to serve 5-year terms); formerly the Assembly was the lower house of the bicameral National Council or Milli Genes, which consisted of an upper house, the People's Council or Halk Maslahaty, and the Assembly or Mejlis

Elections

last held on 26 March 2023 (next to be held in 2028)

Election Results

• percent of vote by party - NA
• seats by party - DPT 55, APT 11, PIE 11, independent 48 (individuals nominated by citizen groups)
• composition as of February 2024 men 93, women 32, percentage women 25.6%

Note

on 22 January 2023, a joint session of the then bicameral National Council or Milli Genes voted unanimously to abolish itself, re-establishing a unicameral legislature and a separate People's Council or Halk Maslahaty

• highest court(s): Supreme Court of Turkmenistan (consists of the court president and 21 associate judges and organized into civil, criminal,
• and military chambers) judge selection and term of office: judges a
• ppointed by the president for 5-year terms subordinate courts: High Commercial Court; appellate courts; provincial, district, and city courts; military courts

5 provinces (velayatlar, singular - velayat) and 1 independent city*: Ahal Velayat (Arkadag), Ashgabat*, Balkan Velayat (Balkanabat), Dashoguz Velayat, Lebap Velayat (Turkmenabat), Mary Velayat note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)

• Agrarian Party of Turkmenistan or APT [Bashim ANNAGURBANOV]
• Democratic Party of Turkmenistan or DPT [Ata SERDAROV]
• Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs or PIE [Saparmurat OVGANOV]
• Note: all of these parties support President BERDIMUHAMEDOV; a law authorizing the registration of political parties went into effect in January 2012; unofficial, small opposition movements exist abroad

• no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent
• yes residency requirement for naturalization: 7 years

ADB, CIS (associate member, has not ratified the 1993 CIS charter although it participates in meetings and held the chairmanship of the CIS in 2012), EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO

chief of mission

Ambassador Matthew S. KLIMOW (since 26 June 2019) embassy: 9 1984 Street (formerly Pushkin Street), Ashgabat 744000 mailing address: 7070 Ashgabat Place, Washington, DC 20521-7070

telephone

[993] (12) 94-00-45

FAX

[993] (12) 94-26-14

Email address and website

• ConsularAshgab@state.gov
• https://tm.usembassy.gov/

chief of mission

Ambassador Meret ORAZOV (since 14 February 2001)

chancery

2207 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone

[1] (202) 588-1500

FAX

[1] (202) 588-1500

Email address and website

• turkmenembassyus@verizon.net
• https://usa.tmembassy.gov.tm/en