- In full:
- Gurbanguly Myliktulievich Berdymukhammedov
- Born:
- June 29, 1957, Babarab, Turkmenistan, U.S.S.R. (age 69)
- Title / Office:
- president (2006-2022), Turkmenistan
Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov
-
Who is Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov?
Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, born on June 29, 1957, is a Turkmen politician and dentist who was president of Turkmenistan from 2006 to 2022 and chair of the Peopleās Council (Khalk Maslahaty) from 2021 onward.
Berdymukhammedov became acting president after the death of Turkmen President Saparmurad Niyazov in December 2006. In February 2007, he was elected president, and he secured second and third terms in 2012 and 2017, respectively. Although he took some steps to dismantle Niyazovās personality cult, he soon began to cultivate his own. In February 2022, Berdymukhammedov announced an early presidential election to elect his successor. His son, Serdar, won the election and took over as president.
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Which country did Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov lead as president?
Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov served as president of Turkmenistan from 2006 to 2022. Taking office after the death of his predecessor, Saparmurad Niyazov, Berdymukhammedov initiated some reforms, such as restoring pensions and easing travel restrictions. However, he soon began to cultivate his own personality cult, replacing Niyazov's portraits with his own and continuing grandiose construction projects. Despite initial steps toward political and economic reform, his rule was marked by tight government control. In 2022, Berdymukhammedov stepped down, and his son, Serdar, succeeded him as president.
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When did Berdymukhammedov become president of Turkmenistan?
Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov became acting president of Turkmenistan on December 21, 2006, following the death of then-President Saparmurad Niyazov. On February 11, 2007, Berdymukhammedov was elected president, receiving nearly 90 percent of the votes cast.
Berdymukhammedov's presidency saw some initial reforms, such as restoring pensions and easing travel restrictions, but he soon began to cultivate his own personality cult, replacing Niyazov's with his own. He was re-elected in 2012 and 2017, but in February 2022, he announced an early election in which his son, Serdar, won and succeeded him as president.
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What major changes did Berdymukhammedov make in Turkmenistan during his presidency?
During his presidency (2006-2022), Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov made several significant changes in Turkmenistan. Initially, he dismantled some aspects of his predecessor Niyazov's personality cult, such as ending bans on ballet and opera and reversing the renaming of the days of the week and months of the year.
However, Berdymukhammedov soon established his own personality cult, replacing Niyazov's Rukhnama with his Turkmennama and erecting a golden statue of himself in Ashgabat. He also extended presidential terms and removed age limits, suggesting a desire to remain in power for life. Economically, he initiated the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline project to export natural gas. In 2021, he created an upper chamber of the legislature to retain political influence after his presidency.
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How did Berdymukhammedov's leadership style influence Turkmenistan's government?
Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov's leadership saw an initial dismantling of his predecessor's personality cult, reversing bans on ballet and renaming months and days. However, he soon established his own cult of personality, replacing Niyazov's portraits with his own and renaming places and institutions after himself.
Berdymukhammedov's rule saw constitutional amendments extending presidential terms and removing age limits, suggesting a desire to remain in power for life. Although he initiated some reforms, the political process remained tightly controlled, with only loyal parties participating in elections. Despite his eventual resignation, Berdymukhammedov's leadership solidified authoritarian control within Turkmenistan's government.
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What are some criticisms and controversies related to Berdymukhammedov's time as president?
Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov's presidency in Turkmenistan, which lasted from 2006 to 2022, faced both criticisms and sparked controversy. Although he initially took steps to dismantle the personality cult of his predecessor, Saparmurat Niyazov, Berdymukhammedov soon began to cultivate his own personality cult. This included erecting golden statues of himself and renaming places and institutions after himself, similar to Niyazov.
Berdymukhammedov's elections were also controversial. His 2012 election was generally considered fraudulent, and the 2017 election, which he won with 98% of the vote after constitutional amendments extended presidential terms and removed age limits, was seen as evidence of his intention to remain president for life.
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Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov (born June 29, 1957, Babarab, Turkmenistan, U.S.S.R.) is a Turkmen dentist and politician who served as president of Turkmenistan (2006ā22) and as chair of the Peopleās Council (Khalk Maslahaty; 2021ā ).
Berdymukhammedov was the grandson of a distinguished local schoolteacher. In 1979 he graduated from the dental faculty of the Turkmen State Medical Institute and started work as a dentist in an Ashgabat clinic. By 1987 he had gradually increased his responsibilities and moved up professionally. He then studied therapeutic dentistry in Moscow for three years, returning to Ashgabat in 1990 to a teaching post at the Turkmen Medical Institute. In 1995 he moved to the Ministry of Health. Two years later he was appointed minister of health, and in April 2001 he became deputy prime minister responsible for education, science, and health.
Following the December 21, 2006, death of Turkmen Pres. Saparmurad Niyazov (āTurkmenbashiā), Berdymukhammedov was named acting president by Turkmenistanās Security Council. The appointment surprised many in the international community as well as in the country itself. There was some speculation that the powerful Turkmen security service was more comfortable with a person widely perceived as politically weak. According to a recurring rumor in the Turkmen exile community, Berdymukhammedov was the illegitimate son of Niyazov. Such a relationship was possible given their age difference but was still considered unlikely.
On February 11, 2007, Berdymukhammedov was elected president, receiving nearly 90 percent of the votes cast. After he took office, the Turkmen exile community and many citizens hoped for a relaxation of the tight control exercised by Niyazov. There were some improvements: Berdymukhammedov restored the pensions abolished by his predecessor, eased restrictions on travel abroad, and reinstituted the 10th year of basic education that had been dropped on Niyazovās order. However, during his first year in office there was little sign that Berdymukhammedov would implement genuine political and economic reform that would lead to democratization of the country. By late 2007, observers had noted that he was having some of the portraits of Niyazov, which were such a striking feature of the Ashgabat cityscape, replaced with portraits of himself, an inaugural step in the new presidentās imitation of his predecessor in cultivating his own personality cult. In addition, Berdymukhammedov continued his predecessorās grandiose construction projects, including one to build a new seaport and airport for the city of Turkmenbashi on the Caspian Sea. In 2015 work began on the so-called Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline, which was expected to span 1,125 miles (1,800 km) and facilitate the delivery of Turkmenistanās natural gas into South Asia.
Berdymukhammedov was elected to a second term as president in 2012 and to a third term in 2017. Despite steps that seemed to indicate his intention to remain president for life, his health reportedly declined after 2019. In February 2022 Berdymukhammedov set an early presidential election for March to elect his successor. His son, Serdar, won the election with more than 70 percent of the vote and took over as president days later. Gurbanguly, meanwhile, retained his role as chair of the Peopleās Council (Khalk Maslahaty), the upper chamber of the legislature created in 2021.