The official name of the government of Turkmenistan is the Republic of Turkmenistan. The country has a government that is highly authoritarian and is also a unitary presidential republic with the chief of the state being president, who is also the head of government. The president is also the commander in chief of the armed forces of Turkmenistan. The office of president was instituted in union with the endorsement of the 1992 constitution. The president is elected to serve for a term of five years.

Eligible voters in Turkmenistan should have attained the age of 18 years and above and are citizens of Turkmenistan. Those vying for elected positions should be 25 years and above and have Turkmen citizenship. Election of an aspirant is declared if they attain at least 50% of the total votes cast in every constituency. Seats that are left vacant between general elections are filled through by-elections which are conducted within three months after the vacancy occurs.

The parliament in Turkmenistan is known as the assembly or Mejlis. Previously, the National Council was the chief legislative body. The Assembly comprises of 125 members who serve for five years and are voted directly by single-seat constituencies. The country has a unicameral parliamentary system. The assembly holds its sessions at the Rukhiyet Palace in Ashgabat, the capital city of Turkmenistan. The palace was constructed by a French company known as Bouygues. The parliament building has a classical design having a tent like dome. The building is featured in the Guinness Book of world records having the highest density of white marble.

Before September 2008, Turkmenistan had a one-party system. However, multi-party system was adopted following the implementation of the new constitution. The most dominant party in the country is Democratic Party of Turkmenistan and was formerly known as Communist Party. It was founded as a successor party to the Communist Party of Turkmen after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The other party is the Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs which was founded in August 2012. It is, therefore, the first legal opposition party in the country. In 2013 the first multi-party parliamentary elections were conducted in Turkmenistan. However, all parties in the Assembly function together under the management of the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan.

This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018

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