# Democratic Party of Turkmenistan

The Democratic Party of Turkmenistan (Turkmen: Türkmenistanyň Demokratik Partiýasy, Turkmen pronunciation:, TDP) is a political party in Turkmenistan founded in 1991. It has been the ruling party of the country since its foundation.
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. The current leader is Ata Serdarow. The party's rule is described as authoritarian or totalitarian.

## History

The TDP 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 TDP 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

Due to the lack of opposition parties to contest for government, the TDP 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.

## Chairmen

| No. | Picture | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Notes |
| Chairman ||||||
| 1 | | Saparmurat Niyazov (1940–2006) | 16 December 1991 | 21 December 2006 | Died in office |
| 2 | | Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow (born 1957) | 4 August 2007 | 18 August 2013 | Acting chairman: 21 December 2006 – 4 August 2007 |
| 3 | — | Kasymguly Babaýew (born 1966) | 18 August 2013 | 2 April 2018 | |
| 4 | — | Ata Serdarow (born 1964) | 2 April 2018 | Incumbent | |

## Election results

Turkmenistan elects on the national level a head of state - the president - and a legislature. Elections in Turkmenistan have been widely criticised for being completely fraudulent and attempting to give an appearance of legitimacy to what is in reality a dictatorship.

### Presidential elections

The last presidential election was held in 2022.
| Election year | Candidate | 1st round | 1st round | 2nd round | 2nd round | Results |
| Election year | Candidate | # Votes | % Votes | # Votes | % Votes | Results |
| 1992 | Saparmurat Niyazov | 1,874,357 | 99.51% | — | — | Won |
| 2007 | Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow | 2,357,120 | 89.23% | — | — | Won |
| 2012 | Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow | 2,806,265 | 97.14% | — | — | Won |
| 2017 | Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow | 3,090,610 | 97.69% | — | — | Won |
| 2022 | Serdar Berdimuhamedow | 2,452,705 | 72.97% | — | — | Won |

### Legislative elections

The Assembly is a 125-member legislative body officially led by the president of Turkmenistan. The DPT, not unlike every other facet of political life in Turkmenistan, holds a majority of seats, with accusations that the multi-party system established in the early 2010s only consists of bloc parties, nominally independent but loyal to the DPT. The last election for the assembly was held in 2023.
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Government |
| 1994 | Saparmurat Niyazov | 2,008,701 | 100% | 50 / 50 | New | 1st | Sole legal party |
| 1999 | Saparmurat Niyazov | 2,224,537 | 100% | 50 / 50 | 0 | 1st | Sole legal party |
| 2004 | Saparmurat Niyazov | 1,915,000 | 100% | 50 / 50 | 0 | 1st | Sole legal party |
| 2008 | Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow | 2,594,658 | 100% | 125 / 125 | 75 | 1st | Sole legal party |
| 2013 | Kasymguly Babaýew | | 37.6% | 47 / 125 | 78 | 1st | Coalition |
| 2018 | Kasymguly Babaýew | | | 55 / 125 | 8 | 1st | Coalition |
| 2023 | Ata Serdarow | | | 65 / 125 | 10 | 1st | Majority |