Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow
Gurbanguly Mälikgulyýewiç Berdimuhamedow (born 29 June 1957) is a Turkmen politician who is currently the chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan (Turkmen: Halk Maslahaty). He previously served as the 2nd President of Turkmenistan from 2006 to 2022, when he entered into a power-sharing arrangement with his son, Serdar, the current president.
National Leader of the Turkmen People Arkadag Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow | |
|---|---|
Berdimuhamedow in 2017 | |
| Chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan | |
| Assumed office 14 April 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Position re-established |
| 2nd President of Turkmenistan | |
| In office 14 February 2007 – 19 March 2022 Acting: 21 December 2006 – 14 February 2007 | |
| Vice President | Raşit Meredow |
| Preceded by | Saparmyrat Nyýazow |
| Succeeded by | Serdar Berdimuhamedow |
| Leader of the Democratic Party | |
| In office 4 August 2007 – 18 August 2013 Acting: 21 December 2006 – 4 August 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Saparmyrat Nyýazow |
| Succeeded by | Kasymguly Babaýew |
| 3rd Deputy Chairman of Government | |
| In office 1 March 2001 – 14 February 2007 | |
| President | Saparmyrat Nyýazow Himself (acting) |
| Preceded by | Orazgeldi Aýdogdiýew |
| Succeeded by | Raşit Meredow |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Gurbanguly Mälikgulyýewiç Berdimuhamedow 29 June 1957 Babarap, Turkmen SSR, Soviet Union |
| Nationality | Turkmen |
| Political party | Independent (2013–present) |
| Other political affiliations | TDP (before 2013) |
| Spouse | Ogulgerek Berdimuhamedowa |
| Children | 4, including Serdar |
| Parents |
|
| Alma mater | Turkmen State Medical Institute |
| Profession | Dentist |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Turkmenistan |
| Branch/service | Turkmen Ground Forces |
| Rank | General of the Army (since 2007) |
A dentist by profession, Berdimuhamedow served in the government of the president, Saparmyrat Niyazow, as the minister of health in 1997 and as the vice-president in 2001. He became acting president following Niyazow's death on 21 December 2006 and subsequently won the 2007 presidential election. He faced no meaningful opposition and won by an overwhelming margin with 89% of the vote. In 2012, he was re-elected for a second term with 97% of the vote and he was re-elected again in 2017 with 97.7% of the vote. He was among the candidates elected to the People's Council of Turkmenistan on 28 March 2021, as a member from Ahal Region. He reportedly received 100% of votes from the electors. On 14 April 2021, he was unanimously elected chairman of the People's Council, the upper chamber of the Turkmen parliament.
Like his predecessor, Berdimuhamedow headed an authoritarian regime and is the subject of a cult of personality. Rights groups have described Turkmenistan under Berdimuhamedow as one of the most repressive countries in the world, accusing Berdimuhamedow, his relatives, and his associates of possessing and exercising unlimited power over all aspects of public life.
Berdimuhamedow stepped down as president on 19 March 2022, being succeeded by his son, Serdar, who won a snap election deemed as neither free nor fair, making Turkmenistan the first Central Asian country to be ruled by a dynastic system. The People's Council was subsequently re-formed as the country's top leadership body in January 2023, with Serdar then reappointing his father as its chairman and granting him the title "National Leader of the Turkmen People".