Turkmenistan

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Turkmenistan, situated in Central Asia, is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, and Iran to the south. Turkmenistan is landlocked but borders the Caspian Sea. Its area is 488,100 square kilometers (188,400 square miles).

As of 2004 Turkmenistan's population was estimated at 4.9 million. The prominent ethnicities are Turkmen (85%) and Uzbek (5%). The prominent religions are Islam (89%) and the Russian Orthodox church (9%).

Turkmenistan was conquered by the Mongols in the thirteenth century and annexed by Russia in the late nineteenth century. It gained independence in 1916 after a rebellion that lasted until 1919. In 1924 the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic was formed as a component of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Turkmenistan declared full independence in October 1991.

Turkmenistan moved from a communist Soviet republic to an authoritarian regime centered on President Saparmurat Niyazov (b. 1940). Niyazov first came to power in 1985 as first secretary of the Communist Party of Turkmenistan. He was appointed president in October 1990 and elected president in June 1991 after an uncontested direct election.

Officially, Turkmenistan is a constitutional republic; in fact, President Niyazov has complete power over all branches of government. The president is the chief of state, the head of government, and the commander in chief. He is responsible for naming the government and appointing the Supreme Court justices. Originally, the president was to have been elected directly for a five-year term, but in December 1999 the parliament unanimously changed the term of the president to life. The president may issue edicts and initiate legislation and dissolve parliament.

Turkmenistan's legislative branch is dominated by the Halk Maslahaty (People's Council), which consists of up to 2,500 delegates who serve indefinitely. Its members are both appointed by the president and directly elected. The legislative branch also includes the Majlis (Assembly), which consists of fifty members who are directly elected and serve five-year terms.

The parliament passes criminal legislation and approves amendments to the constitution. The parliament also ratifies legislation introduced by the president, the Council of Ministers, and individual members of the parliament. The president's overwhelming executive and legislative authority allows the legislature little independence.

The judiciary is headed by a Supreme Court of twenty-one justices. All judges are appointed by the president for five-year terms. The judiciary does not have the power to review legislation for constitutionality. It lacks any independence, and judicial appointments are not subject to legislative review.

Political parties in Turkmenistan have been outlawed, and the country is dominated by a Soviet-style single party, the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan, led by Niyazov. The government, which controls all media outlets, enforces strict censorship, and political dissent is not permitted. Freedom of religion also is restricted, and only Sunni Muslims and Russian Orthodox Christians are allowed to register with the government. All other religious groups face prosecution.

Freedom of speech or association is virtually nonexistent as citizens are monitored regularly. Freedom of movement is restricted severely, and in a practice reminiscent of USSR policy, citizens are required to carry internal passports. In 2005 Turkmenistan was a one-man, one-party dictatorship.

Dictatorship; Ukraine.

Capisani, Giampaolo R. The Handbook of Central Asia: A Comprehensive Survey of the New Republics. London: I. B. Tauris Publishers, 2000.

Freedom House. "Turkmenistan." Freedom in the World 2004. New York: Freedom House, 2004. <http://www.freedomhouse.org/res earch/freeworld/2004/countryratings/tur kmenistan.htm>.

"Turkmenistan." CIA World Factbook. Washington, DC: Central Intelligence Agency, 2004. <http://www.cia.gov/cia/publicat ions/factbook/geos/tx.html>.

U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. "Turkmenistan." Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of State, 2004. <http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/ hrrpt/2004/41714.htm>.

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