Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow
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Berdimuhamedow in 2025
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| Chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan | |
| Assumed office 14 April 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Position established |
| 2nd President of Turkmenistan | |
| In office 14 February 2007 – 19 March 2022 Acting: 21 December 2006 – 14 February 2007 |
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| Vice President |
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| Preceded by | Saparmurat Niyazov |
| Succeeded by | Serdar Berdimuhamedow |
| 2nd Leader of the Democratic Party | |
| In office 4 August 2007 – 18 August 2013 Acting: 21 December 2006 – 4 August 2007 |
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| Preceded by | Saparmurat Niyazov |
| Succeeded by | Kasymguly Babaýew |
| Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan | |
| In office 1 March 2001 – 14 February 2007 |
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| President |
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| Preceded by | Orazgeldi Aýdogdiýew |
| Succeeded by | Raşit Meredow |
| Minister of Health | |
| In office 15 December 1997 – 21 December 2006 |
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| President | Saparmurat Niyazov |
| Preceded by | Chary Kulyýew |
| Succeeded by | Byashim Sopyev |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Gurbanguly Mälikgulyýewiç Berdimuhamedow
29 June 1957 Babarap, Turkmen SSR, Soviet Union |
| Political party | Independent (since 2013) |
| Other political affiliations |
Democratic (before 2013) |
| Spouse | Ogulgerek Berdimuhamedowa |
| Children | 4, including Serdar |
| Parents |
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| Alma mater | Turkmen State Medical Institute |
| Profession | Dentist |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Turkmenistan |
| Branch/service |  Turkmen Ground Forces |
| Years of service | 2007–present |
| Rank |  Army general |
Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow (born on June 29, 1957) is a politician from Turkmenistan. He used to be a dentist. Currently, he is the chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan. He was also the second president of Turkmenistan from 2006 to 2022. After that, his son, Serdar Berdimuhamedow, became the current president, and they share leadership roles.
Before becoming president, Berdimuhamedow worked in the government of President Saparmurat Niyazov. He was the Minister of Health starting in 1997 and a deputy cabinet chair from 2001. When President Niyazov passed away on December 21, 2006, Berdimuhamedow became the acting president. He then won the presidential election in 2007 with a large number of votes. He was re-elected in 2012 and again in 2017.
On March 28, 2021, he was chosen as a member of the People's Council of Turkmenistan from the Ahal Region. On April 14, 2021, he was chosen as the chairman of the People's Council, which is like the upper house of the Turkmen parliament.
Berdimuhamedow stepped down as president on March 19, 2022. His son, Serdar Berdimuhamedow, took over after winning an election. This made Turkmenistan the first country in Central Asia to have a father and son lead the country one after another in modern times. In January 2023, the People's Council was reorganized, and Serdar reappointed his father as its chairman. He also gave his father the special title "National Leader of the Turkmen People."
Contents
Early Life and Education
Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow was born on June 29, 1957, in Babarap, a village in what is now Gökdepe District, Ahal Province. His parents were Mälikguly Berdimuhamedowiç Berdimuhamedow (who lived from 1932 to 2021) and Ogulabat Kürräýewna Kürräýewa (who lived from 1937 to 2023). He is the only son in a family with six children.
His father, Mälikguly, worked as an officer in the Interior Ministry and retired as a police colonel. His grandfather, Berdimuhamed Annaýew, was a teacher who fought in the Red Army during World War II. He was one of the first to cross the Dnieper River in September 1943. Sadly, he passed away in the 1948 Ashgabat earthquake.
Professional Path
Berdimuhamedow finished his studies at the Turkmen State Medical Institute in 1979 and became a dentist. He also earned a PhD in medical sciences in Moscow. By 1992, he was teaching dentistry at the Medical Institute. In 1995, during the time of President Saparmyrat Nyýazow, he became the head of the dentistry center for the Ministry of Health.
Becoming a Political Leader
In 1997, he was chosen to be the Minister of Health. In 2001, he became one of the deputy chairmen of the Cabinet of Ministers. In this role, he was in charge of health, science, education, and sports. In April 2004, President Nyýazow stopped Berdimuhamedow's salary for three months because healthcare workers were not getting paid.
The Ministry of Health was responsible for closing hospitals outside of the main cities in 2005, following President Nyýazow's orders.
President of Turkmenistan (2006–2022)
After President Nyýazow passed away in December 2006, the State Security Council of Turkmenistan chose Berdimuhamedow to be the acting president.
The country's constitution said that an acting president could not run for president. However, on December 24, 2006, the People's Council changed this rule. This allowed Berdimuhamedow to be one of the six candidates in the 2007 election. He had strong support from other leaders and won with 89% of the votes.
For his first trip as president, Berdimuhamedow visited Saudi Arabia in April 2007. There, he went on a religious pilgrimage called Umrah and met with King Abdullah. He then visited Russia and met President Vladimir Putin later that month.
After becoming president, Berdimuhamedow changed some of the previous president's unusual rules.
- Internet cafés with free internet opened in Ashgabat.
- Schooling was extended from nine to ten years.
- Classes in sports and foreign languages were brought back to schools.
- The government planned to open special schools for the arts.
- He also brought back pensions for 100,000 elderly people whose pensions had been cut.
- Later, he reopened the Turkmen Academy of Sciences, which had been closed.
In 2015, work began on the TAPI project under his government.
In February 2017, he was re-elected for a third term as President of Turkmenistan. He won with almost 98% of the votes. In October 2017, he gave a special Turkmen dog, a Central Asian shepherd, as a gift to Vladimir Putin.
Berdimuhamedow was also the president of the National Olympic Committee of Turkmenistan.
In 2020, Berdimuhamedow led Turkmenistan during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkmenistan. He was one of eight world leaders who received a funny award called the Ig Nobel Prize in Medical Education. On November 10 of that year, he showed off a golden statue of his favorite dog breed, the Central Asian shepherd.
In July 2021, Berdimuhamedow ordered troops and heavy weapons to the Afghanistan–Turkmenistan border. This was to prevent the conflict in Afghanistan from spreading into Turkmenistan.
In February 2022, news reports said that Berdimuhamedow was planning to step down after an early presidential election on March 12. This led to talk that his son, Serdar, would become the next President. Berdimuhamedow did not run in the election, and Serdar won. Serdar became president on March 19, 2022.
After the Presidency: National Leader
The People's Council of Turkmenistan (Halk Maslahaty) was brought back in September 2020. While he was still president, Berdimuhamedow ran for election from Ahal Province and won a seat on March 28, 2021. He was then chosen as the chairperson of the People's Council.
On January 21, 2023, his son, President Serdar Berdimuhamedow, reappointed his father as the chairman of the reorganized People's Council. Through a special law signed on the same day, President Serdar Berdimuhamedow also named his father the "national leader" (Milli Lider) of Turkmenistan. This title gives the elder Berdimuhamedow the right to speak on any public matter. It also gives him and his family protection from legal action, personal security, and financial support from the government. New laws quickly made the People's Council the "supreme organ of state authority" in Turkmenistan, meaning its chairman has a higher position than the president.
Berdimuhamedow visited Moscow in November 2022. He has also made other trips abroad and met with leaders from other countries. His first foreign visit as National Leader was to the United Arab Emirates in February 2023.
Awards and Recognition
Awards from Turkmenistan
- 1994 – Star of President Order
- 2016 – Medal "25 Years of Turkmenistan's Independence"
- 2019 – "Honorary Elder of the State"
- 2021 – "Master Equestrian of Turkmenistan"
- 2022 – Skillful Diplomat of Turkmenistan
Awards from Other Countries
- 2007 –
Saudi Arabia: Order of King Abdulaziz - 2007 –
United Arab Emirates: Order of Zayed - 2007 –
Uzbekistan: Order of Distinguished Service - 2008 –
Kazakhstan: Medal "10 years of Astana" - 2010 –
Tajikistan: Order of Ismoili Somoni - 2011 –
Bahrain: Order of Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa - 2012 –
Turkey: First Class of the Order of the State of Republic of Turkey - 2013 –
Serbia: Order of the Republic of Serbia - 2014 –
China: Honorary Professor, Beijing Medical University - 2014 –
Azerbaijan: Order of Sheikh-ul-Islam - 2015 –
South Korea: Honorary Doctorate, Sungkyunkwan University - 2015 –
Japan: Honorary Doctorate, University of Tsukuba - 2016 –
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan: Gazy Mohammad Akbar Khan Medal - 2016 –
Pakistan: Honorary Doctor of Political Science, Quaid-i-Azam University - 2016, 2017 –
Moldova: Order of the Republic - 2017 –
Gagauzia: Order of Gagauz-Yeri - 2017 – Kazakhstan: Order of Dostyk
- 2017 –
Russia: Order of Alexander Nevsky - 2017 – Russia: Order of Dyslyk
- 2018 –
Malaysia: Certificate of Award "for development of mass media", Asia-Pacific Broadcasters Association - 2022 – Kazakhstan: Order of the Golden Eagle
- 2022 – Russia: Order "For Merit to the Fatherland"
International Awards
- 2022 –
Organization of Turkic States: 2022 Supreme Order of Turkic World
Personal Life
Family
Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow is married and has four children: three daughters and one son, Serdar Berdimuhamedow, who is the current president of Turkmenistan.
His father, Mälikguly Berdimuhamedow, passed away on April 18, 2021. His mother, Ogulabat Berdimuhamedowa, passed away in April 2023.
Hobbies and Interests
According to information from Turkmenistan, Berdimuhamedow enjoys writing books and songs. He also likes to act as a DJ and participate in health activities in his free time.
In 2019, he received the highest award from the International Cycling Union (UCI) because of his country's dedication to the sport of cycling.
See also
In Spanish: Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow para niños
- Politics of Turkmenistan
- FK Arkadag
