<hdr>The World Factbook 1994: Turkmenistan<nl>Government</hdr><body>
<list>
<item><hi format=bold>Names:</hi>
<list style=hang>
<item>• <hi format=ital>conventional long form:</hi> none
<item>• <hi format=ital>conventional short form:</hi> Turkmenistan
<item>• <hi format=ital>local long form:</hi> Tiurkmenostan Respublikasy
<item>• <hi format=ital>local short form:</hi> Turkmenistan
<item>• <hi format=ital>former:</hi> Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic
</list>
<item><hi format=bold>Digraph:</hi> TX
<item><hi format=bold>Type:</hi> republic
<item><hi format=bold>Capital:</hi> Ashgabat
<item><hi format=bold>Administrative divisions:</hi> 5 welayatlar (singular—welayat): Ahal Welayaty (Ashgabat), Balkan Welayaty (Nebitdag), Dashhowuz Welayaty (formerly Tashauz), Lebap Welayaty (Charjew), Mary Welayaty
<list style=hang>
<item>• <hi format=ital>note:</hi> names in parentheses are administrative centers when name differs from welayat name
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<item><hi format=bold>Independence:</hi> 27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
<item><hi format=bold>National holiday:</hi> Independence Day, 27 October (1991)
<item><hi format=bold>Constitution:</hi> adopted 18 May 1992
<item><hi format=bold>Legal system:</hi> based on civil law system
<item><hi format=bold>Suffrage:</hi> 18 years of age; universal
<item><hi format=bold>Executive branch:</hi>
<list style=hang>
<item>• <hi format=ital>chief of state:</hi> President Saparmurad NIYAZOV (since NA October 1990); election last held 21 June 1992 (next to be held NA 2002); results—Saparmurad NIYAZOV 99.5% (ran unopposed); note—a 15 January 1994 referendum extended NIYAZOV's term an additional five years until 2002 (99.99% approval)
<item>• <hi format=ital>head of government:</hi> Prime Minister (vacant); Deputy Prime Ministers Batyr SARDJAEV, Valery G. OCHERTSOV, Orazgeldi AIDOGDIEV, Djourakuli BABAKULIYEV, Rejep SAPAROV, Boris SHIKHMURADOV, Abad RIZAEVA, Yagmur OVEZOV (since NA)
<item>• <hi format=ital>cabinet:</hi> Council of Ministers
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<item><hi format=bold>Legislative branch:</hi> under 1992 constitution there are two parliamentary bodies, a unicameral People's Council (Halk Maslahaty—having more than 100 members and meeting infrequently) and a 50-member unicameral Assembly (Majlis)
<item><hi format=bold>Assembly (Majlis):</hi> elections last held 7 January 1990 (next to be held late 1994 or early 1995); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(175 total) elections not officially by party, but Communist Party members won nearly 90% of seats; note—seats to be reduced to 50 at next election
<item>• <hi format=ital>mailing address:</hi> use embassy street address
<item>• <hi format=ital>telephone:</hi> [7] 36320 24-49-25 or 24-49-26
</list>
<item><hi format=bold>Flag:</hi> green field, including a vertical stripe on the hoist side, with a claret vertical stripe in between containing five white, black, and orange carpet guls (an assymetrical design used in producing rugs) associated with five different tribes; a white crescent and five white stars in the upper left corner to the right of the carpet guls