Democratic Party of Turkmenistan

Democratic Party of Turkmenistan
Türkmenistanyň demokratik partiýasy
Leader Ata Serdarov
Founder Saparmurat Niyazov
Founded 16 December 1991
Headquarters Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
Youth wing Magtymguly Youth Organisation
Ideology Turkmen nationalism
Secularism
Authoritarianism
Totalitarianism (formerly)
Colours     
Seats in the Mejlis of Turkmenistan
55 / 125

The Democratic Party of Turkmenistan (Turkmen: Türkmenistanyň Demokratik partiýasy) (TPD) is a political party in Turkmenistan. 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.[1] The current leader is Ata Serdarov.[2]

History

The DPT was created following the dissolution of the Soviet Union as a successor party to the Communist Party of the Turkmen SSR. 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

NameTerm startTerm endNotes
Saparmurat Niyazov16 December 199121 December 2006Died in office
Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow21 December 200618 August 2013Acting until 4 August 2007, resigned
Kasymguly Babaev18 August 20133 April 2018
Ata Serdarov3 April 2018incumbent

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.[3]

Election results

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%.

Election results

Presidential Elections

Election date Party candidate Number of votes received Percentage of votes
1992 Saparmurat Niyazov 1,874,357 99.5%
2007 Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow 2,357,120 89.23%
2012 Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow Not released 97.14%
2017 Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow 3,090,610 97.69%

Parliamentary Elections

Election date Party leader Number of votes received Percentage of votes Number of seats
1994 Saparmurat Niyazov 2,008,779 100%
50 / 50
1999 Saparmurat Niyazov 2,224,537 100%
50 / 50
2004 Saparmurat Niyazov 1,915,000 100%
50 / 50
2008 Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow Not released 100%
125 / 125
2013 Kasymguly Babaev Not released Not released
47 / 125
2018 Kasymguly Babaev Not released Not released
55 / 125

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Turkmen president quits top party". 18 August 2013 – via Japan Times Online.
  2. ↑ "Chairman of Turkmenistan's Democratic Party elected". Trend News Agency. 3 April 2018.
  3. ↑ "European Forum for Democracy and Solidarity". www.europeanforum.net. 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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