President of Turkmenistan facts for kids

The President of Turkmenistan (Türkmenistanyň prezidenti) is the leader of Turkmenistan. This person is both the head of state (like a country's main representative) and the head of government (who runs the daily business of the country). The President is also the top commander of Turkmenistan's armed forces and leads the State Security Council.

Quick facts for kids President of Turkmenistan
Standard of the president of Turkmenistan
Emblem of Turkmenistan
Incumbent Serdar Berdimuhamedow since 19 March 2022
Style	Mr President (informal) Distinguished President of Turkmenistan (formal) His Excellency (diplomatic)
Member of	Cabinet of Ministers State Security Council CIS Council of Heads of State
Residence	Oguzhan Presidential Palace
Seat	Ashgabat
Appointer	Direct popular vote
Term length	Seven years, renewable
Constituting instrument	Constitution of Turkmenistan (1992)
Formation	2 November 1990; 34 years ago (1990-11-02) (Turkmen SSR) 27 October 1991; 33 years ago (1991-10-27) (Turkmenistan)
First holder	Saparmyrat Nyýazow
Succession	Chairman of the Assembly of Turkmenistan
Deputy	Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan
Salary	442,800 Turkmenistani manat/10,800 USD annually

Serdar Berdimuhamedow is the current President of Turkmenistan. He became president on March 19, 2022. He is the third president since Turkmenistan became an independent country in 1991, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Serdar Berdimuhamedow took over from his father, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow. His father stepped down in 2022 after being president for 15 years. This was the first time a president in Turkmenistan had stepped down from office. In the 2022 election, Serdar Berdimuhamedow won with 72.97% of the votes. Some international observers had concerns about how fair this election was.

In 2016, Turkmenistan made some changes to its laws. These changes removed the age limit for presidents and allowed them to serve more than one term. The length of a presidential term was also changed from five to seven years.

Becoming President and Leaving Office

To become the President of Turkmenistan, a person must meet certain requirements:

• They must have been born in Turkmenistan.
• They must speak the Turkmen language very well.
• They must be at least 40 years old.
• They must have lived in Turkmenistan for the last 15 years in a row.
• They must have a job.

A president can be removed from office or leave their position for a few reasons, according to Turkmenistan's constitution:

• If they are too sick to do their job.
• If they break the country's constitution or laws.
• If the government votes that they no longer have confidence in the president.

If the president leaves office because of death, resignation, or removal, the chairman of the Assembly (a high-ranking official) usually becomes the acting president. A new election must then be held within 60 days. This has not happened often. In 2006, when President Nyýazow died, the State Security Council decided that the first deputy chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers would be the acting president instead.

Presidential Residence

The Oguzkhan Presidential Palace is where the president lives and works. It is located on Independence Square in Ashgabat, the capital city. The palace has many halls used for important meetings with leaders from other countries and for signing official documents. Former President Saparmyrat Nyýazow also had a private home in Arshabil, a town near Ashgabat.

Travel and Security for the President

The President of Turkmenistan travels in a special Boeing 777-200LR airplane for international and regional trips. This plane is painted in Turkmenistan's national colors and is provided by Turkmenistan Airlines. For travel within the capital city, the president uses a Mercedes-Benz S-Class car. Sometimes, this car is escorted by a group of soldiers on horseback. The president also uses trains for travel.

A vehicle of the security service in 2011.

The Presidential Security Service (Prezidentiniň howpsuzlyk gullugy) is a special group responsible for keeping the president safe. It was created in November 1990 and reports directly to the President. In the early 1990s, this service became independent from the National Security Committee. A law passed in 1994 made it clear that protecting the president is one of its main jobs. When the president visits other countries, the service sends at least 10 agents to protect them.

The Presidential Security Service is organized into different parts:

• Secretariat
• Duty Division
• 1st Division (This is the president's personal guard)
• 2nd Division
• 3rd Division
• 4th Division
• Special Operations Regiment
  • 1st Battalion
  • 2nd Battalion
  • 3rd Battalion

Currently, about 2,000 people work for the Presidential Security Service.

List of Presidents of Turkmenistan

See also

• List of leaders of Turkmenistan
• Prime Minister of Turkmenistan
• Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan
• State Security Council of Turkmenistan
• Republican Party of Turkmenistan