nCa Analysis
The newly formed parliament of Turkmenistan met for its inaugural session on 6 April 2023. The house unanimously elected Ms. Dunyagozel Gulmanova, an MP from Ashgabat, as the chairperson (speaker) of the parliament.
At 34, she is currently the youngest head of a national parliament in the world. Moreover, she is the youngest-ever female head of a national parliament.
The election results and the election of Dunyagozel Gulmanova (also spelled Kulmanova) as chairperson of the parliament suggest some important changes in the political landscape of Turkmenistan.
First, let us compare the election results of 2023 with the results of the previous election (2018):
| Seats in Parliament | ||||
| 2018 | 2023 | Change +/- | Change % (approx.) | |
| Democratic Party of Turkmenistan (DPT) | 55 | 65 | +10 | +18% |
| Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan (PIET) | 11 | 24 | +13 | +118% |
| Agrarian Party of Turkmenistan (APT) | 11 | 18 | +7 | +63% |
| Independents | 48 | 18 | -30 | -62% |
| Total Seats – 125 | ||||
Trying to understand this shift in the voters’ choice will be helpful in comprehending the emerging transformations in the political landscape of Turkmenistan.
In our analysis published on 25 March 2023, we predicted that the youth as a voting block may play a decisive role in the elections.
Youth as a voting block may play decisive role in parliamentary elections of Turkmenistan
In that analysis we wrote: “The immediate questions facing the youth are: 1. Will they have the opportunity to get the higher education in their desired specialization; 2. Will they get a job or the economic space to make a decent living; 3. Will they have access to their near-term and mid-term requirements such as housing, automobile, healthcare, and the capacity to support their parents and elders in their time of need.”
We wrote further: “The pitch offered by the candidates according to their party lines or citizens’ group objectives differed only in the rearrangement of priorities – if one candidate stressed the employment opportunities, the other focused on startups or micro agro-business models. This difference occurred because of the nature of the constituency – rural or urban or a mix of both.”
The outcome of the voting proved that the youth, in fact, proved to be a decisive block. It was not because someone actively campaigned for the youth to vote as a united block – the upshot, as we predicted, is that the young people were pondering the same questions and reaching the similar answers on their own.
This explains the surprising 118% rise in the seats bagged by the PIET. The party of the industrialists and entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan has a countrywide affiliation with UIET (Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan). Although UIET is a non-political entity, the benefits and services it provides to the people are automatically attached to the prestige value of PIET.
For instance, the vocational schools of UIET provide a short cut to the youth who want to go into gainful employment rather than spending several more years in the pursuit of higher education. The earnings of a competent plumber or electrician, as in most other parts of the world, are not less than a doctor or engineer in Turkmenistan. Moreover, some people may want to (or need to) take a break of a few years before resuming their education.
The UIET also works as umbrella organization for the startups and small and medium enterprises in helping them take a start, and supporting them in knowledge and financing.
It is also delivering in several other areas such as matching the producers with the export opportunities, and arranging exhibitions at home and abroad to generate wider range of prospects.
That is why PIET managed to more than double its presence in the parliament.
The increase in the seats gained by the APT (Agrarian Party of Turkmenistan) is also explainable along the same lines.
A major chunk of new employment and economic opportunities are arising from the agro-industrial sector, which is mainly in the domain of UIET with overlap from the agriculture sector. That is why the increase in the seats of PIET and APT should be bracketed together to understand the voter mindset.
As far as the gain of additional 10 seats by the DPT (Democratic Party of Turkmenistan) compared to the results of 2018 elections is concerned, it is a different story.
The success is attributable to the systematic hard work by the central committee of the party. We don’t know the exact path followed by the core committee of DPT but it was apparently a two-pronged approach: 1. Identify the rising stars in the government and public service and convince them to join the DPT; and 2. Formulate an early strategy according to the peculiarities of each constituency.
As a result, DPT has gained simple majority in the parliament. In the house of 125 seats, 63 seats are required for simple majority and DPT has 65 seats.
The previous chairperson of the parliament, Ms. Gulshat Mammedova, was independent. Her predecessor, Ms. Akja Nurberdieva was affiliated with the DPT. With a gap of five years, the parliament chair has returned to the DPT.
In general evaluation, 25.60% of the deputies are women, 99% – with higher education. Of these, about 10% are citizens under 30 and 40.80% are under 40.
And, 45% of the elected deputies are employees of scientific and educational institutions, socio–political organizations, 11% – healthcare, more than 6% – financial and economic complex, 5% – social security, 4% – agricultural industry and other spheres.
Given the above facts and observations, the political landscape of Turkmenistan is undergoing some significant changes:
- The youth is learning to cast their vote with responsibility
- The increasing trust in the political parties rather than independent candidates is creating the pressure on the political parties to deliver on their promises
- There is the realization that the conversation between the people and their representatives is a continuous process
- The policies of the government, mainly the stress on transport and transit connectivity, the push toward IT and digitalization, protection of the environment, pursuit for quality of education, and creation of job opportunities have earned grassroots approval
Dunyagozel Gulmanova, the newly elected chair of the parliament, is a microcosm of the transformations taking place in the political landscape of Turkmenistan.
For one, she is among the youngest members of the Turkmen parliament, and of course, the youngest head of a national parliament in the world.
Her biography shows that at one point she took a break from education (2004-2007) and worked at an agricultural association and at a medical-related job. These were her formative years, making up the mind for the future career path. She was in her mid- to late-teens at that time.
She chose law as her field of choice.
After graduating in law from the university, she has most served in various positions at the ministry of Justice (Adalat), with a couple of years as deputy chair and then chair of the Committee for the Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms of the Halk Maslakhaty Milli Gengesh of Turkmenistan.
Borrowing an analogy from the IT (server-side, and client-side) we can say that Gulmanova is well- versed with the requirements of legislative-side and people-side of law. She should be able to hit the job running.
Here is her biography, as published by the media house Turkmenportal:
Biography – Dunyagozel Gulmanova – Chairperson of Parliament of Turkmenistan
Gulmanova Dunyagozel Akmukhammedovna was born on January 14, 1989 in the city of Ashgabat.
In 1995-2004 she studied at specialized secondary school No. 27 in Ashgabat.
In 2004–2006, she was a tenant of the daikhan association “Bagyr” in the former village of Bagyr, Akhal velayat.
In 2006–2007, she worked as a junior medical worker at the former Rukhabat etrap hospital in Akhal velayat.
In 2007-2012, she studied at the Magtymguly Turkmen State University and received a degree in law.
In 2012-2014, she worked as the chief consultant of the department of the Center for Legal Information, the Department of Constitutional Legislation of the Department of Legislation of the Ministry of Adalat (Justice) of Turkmenistan.
In 2014-2015, she worked as the chief consultant of the personnel department and control of executive discipline of the Ministry of Adalat of Turkmenistan.
In 2015-2016, she worked as an intern, public notary of the State Notary of the Ashgabat city state notary office, in 2016-2018 – the chief consultant of the personnel department and control of executive discipline of the Ministry of Adalat of Turkmenistan, the state registrar of the Berkararlyk etrap department of the Ashgabat city government, the Service for State Registration of Rights to real estate and transactions related to it, by the senior state registrar of the state accounting department of this service.
In 2018-2021, she worked as the chief consultant of the department of economic legislation and state registration of normative legal acts of the Department of Legislation of the Ministry of Adalat of Turkmenistan.
In 2021-2023, she worked as Deputy Chairman, Chairman of the Committee for the Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms of the Halk Maslakhaty Milli Gengesh of Turkmenistan.
Since January 2023, she has been working as a senior consultant at the notaries and civil registration department of the Legal Assistance Department of the Ministry of Adalat of Turkmenistan.
Married, has two children.
She ran for parliament from the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan, on constituency 5 (Mir) of Ashgabat. In the inaugural session of the parliament on 6 April 2023, she was elected as the chairperson of the parliament. /// nCa, 8 April 2023