ms)
elections: People's Council - last held in April 2003 (next to be
held in December 2008); National Assembly - last held 19 December
2004 (next to be held in December 2008)
election results: People's Council - percent of vote by party - DPT
100%; seats by party - DPT 2,507; National Assembly - percent of
vote by party - DPT 100%; seats by party - DPT 50; note - all
elected officials are members of the Democratic Party of
Turkmenistan and are preapproved by the president
note: in late 2003, a law was adopted reducing the powers of the
National Assembly and making the People's Council the supreme
legislative organ; the People's Council can now legally dissolve the
National Assembly, and the president is now able to participate in
the National Assembly as its supreme leader; the National Assembly
can no longer adopt or amend the constitution or announce
referendums or its elections; since the president is both the
chairman of the People's Council and the supreme leader of the
National Assembly, the 2003 law has the effect of making him the
sole authority of both the executive and legislative branches of
government

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)

Political parties and leaders:

Democratic Party of Turkmenistan or DPT [Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW]
note: formal opposition parties are outlawed; unofficial, small
opposition movements exist underground or in foreign countries; the
two most prominent opposition groups-in-exile have been National
Democratic Movement of Turkmenistan (NDMT) and the United Democratic
Party of Turkmenistan (UDPT); NDMT was led by former Foreign
Minister Boris SHIKHMURADOV until his arrest and imprisonment in the
wake of the 25 November 2002 attack on President NYYAZOW's motorcade

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

ADB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO
(correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO (guest),
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Meret Bairamovich ORAZOW
chancery: 2207 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 588-1500
FAX: [1] (202) 588-0697

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Richar