Democratic Party of Turkmenistan

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

Democratic Party of Turkmenistan

Türkmenistanyň demokratik partiýasy
LeaderAta Serdarov
FounderSaparmurat Niyazov
Founded16 December 1991
Preceded byCommunist Party of Turkmenistan (KPT)
HeadquartersAshgabat
Youth wingMagtymguly Youth Organisation[1]
IdeologyTurkmen nationalism
Secularism
Social conservatism[2][3]
Authoritarianism[4][2][3][5]
Political positionBig tent
Colours 
Seats in the Mejlis 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.[6] The current leader is Ata Serdarov.[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

(b. 1957)

 21 December 2006 18 August 2013 Acting Chairman until 4 August 2007, resigned on 18 August 2013
3 Kasymguly Babaev

(?)

 18 August 2013 3 April 2018
4 Ata Serdarov

(b. 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. The 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.

Assembly of Turkmenistan

The Assembly is a 50 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 2013 where the DPT received 47 out of the 125 seats available with a claimed voter turnout of 91.33%.

Electoral history

Presidential elections
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 97.14% Elected Y
2017 3,090,610 97.69% Elected Y

Mejlis elections
Election Party leader Votes % Seats +/– Position
1994 Saparmurat Niyazov 2,008,779 100%
50 / 50
 50 1st
1999 2,224,537 100%
50 / 50
 1st
2004 1,915,000 100%
50 / 50
 1st
2008 Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow 100%
125 / 125
 75 1st
2013 Kasymguly Babaev
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. https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/political-elite-of-turkmenistan-post-soviet-period
  4. "Turkmenistan". freedomhouse.org. Freedom House. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  5. Al-Bassam, Kareem (1997). The Evolution of Authoritarianism in Turkmenistan. Demokratizatsiya. p. 387,394,400. S2CID 36015864.
  6. "Turkmen president quits top party". 18 August 2013 – via Japan Times Online.
  7. "Chairman of Turkmenistan's Democratic Party elected". Trend News Agency. 3 April 2018.
  8. "European Forum for Democracy and Solidarity". www.europeanforum.net. Archived from the original on 23 December 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2014.

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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