Democratic Party of Turkmenistan
The Democratic Party of Turkmenistan (Turkmen: Türkmenistanyň Demokratik Partiýasy; Turkmen pronunciation: [tʏɾkmønʏθːɑnɯŋ dɛmokɾɑtɪk pɑɾtɪjɑθɯ]; TDP) is a political party in Turkmenistan founded in 1991. It has been the ruling party of the country since its foundation.
Democratic Party of Turkmenistan Türkmenistanyň Demokratik Partiýasy
TDP
16 December 1991
Galkynyş gazeti
211,000
Green
Gold
"The state is for the people"
(Turkmen: "Döwlet adam üçindir")
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.[4] The current leader is Ata Serdarow.[5] The party's rule is described as authoritarian or totalitarian.[6][2][3][7]
History[edit]
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 legalisation of opposition parties in 2010.
Policies[edit]
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 theorised by former party leader Saparmurat Niyazov for the purpose of an authoritarian state ideology in Turkmenistan.[8]
