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History :
The territory of what is
now Turkmenistan provided the bedrock for many of the most powerful
empires of their age. The Parthians, the Seljuks and the Khans of
Khoresm all based their empires at various points on the edge of the
Kara-Kum Desert, while Alexander the Great conquered the region during
his epic campaign of the 4th century BC. The influence of Islam dates
from the 7th century AD, when the region was under Arab control.
Modern-day Turkmen are descended from tribes that migrated to the area
in the 10th century from the northeast. Around 300 years later,
Genghis Khan arrived from the same direction and incorporated
Turkmenistan into his expanding empire. From the 15th century, the
area was under Persian domination until the Russian move into Central
Asia at the end of the 19th century. Turkmenistan fell into the
British sphere of influence but the Bolsheviks took control of the
region in 1920 and incorporated Turkmenistan as a union republic in
1925.
Turkmenistan’s ability to embrace the reforms made possible by
glasnost and independence were hampered by its backward economy and,
as a result, it retains many more of the trappings of the old system
than other post-Soviet republics. There have, however, been
significant changes - such as the introduction of a new currency - and
the framework for further economic change has been put in place. By
contrast, politics have changed little since the Soviet era. The
current president is Saparmyrat Nyyazow, who has acquired the
honorific title of Türkmenbashy - leader of all Turkmen - which
conveys something of a spiritual, as well as political, leader. He was
elected (as the sole candidate) as president in 1990, having been
leader of the Turkmenistan Communist Party since 1985 and Chairman of
the Supreme Soviet from 1990. In a referendum in 1994, he was
confirmed as president.
In 1993, the Majlis (see Government) approved a motion to extend
Nyyazow’s term of office beyond 1997 until 2002. Then, in 1999, it
decided to make him president for life. ‘Türkmenbashy’ has evolved a
cult of personality to rival any in the world - it has reportedly
extended to renaming calendar months in honour of him and assorted
relatives. Opposition has been quickly and brutally suppressed,
especially in the wake of a reported assassination attempt against
Nyyazow in late 2002. This peculiar and unpleasant regime is tolerated
by the international community for two main reasons - the country’s
strategic position and its enormous (and, as yet, largely undeveloped)
reserves of oil, gas and precious metals.
Abroad, Turkmenistan has forged strong economic and political links
with Iran and Turkey, within the framework of what the
government calls ‘permanent neutrality’. The country also retains
close links with the Russian Federation, although there have been some
recent difficulties over the current dual nationality status of ethnic
Russians living in the country. Also, since the US-led war against the
Taleban regime in Afghanistan, its strategic position - like that of
neighbouring Tajikistan - has been immeasurably strengthened, as it
has become a staging post for materiel and humanitarian aid in Central
Asia. For their part, the Turkmens are looking to a new stable
Afghanistan as a possible route for the export of their oil and gas
deposits.
Government :
Under the
terms of the constitution adopted in 1993, the Turkmen government is
headed by an executive president, who is also Chairman of the Council
of Ministers. The Council of Ministers carries out the day-to-day
running of the country. The supreme legislative body is the 50-member
Majlis, which is directly elected for 5 years. The Majlis deputies
also sit on the Khalk Maslakhaly (literally, People’s Council), which
includes 60 other elected representatives, members of the Council of
Ministers and is chaired by the president. |
