Editing Politics of Turkmenistan (section)

===National Leader appointed 2023===
As of 21 January 2023, President [[Serdar Berdimuhamedow]] appointed his father and predecessor, [[Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow]], chairperson of the reformed [[People's Council of Turkmenistan]] with the title "National Leader of the Turkmen People" ({{langx|tk|türkmen halkynyň Milli Lideri }}).<ref name=abolishNT/><ref name=abolishRFE/><ref name=leader>{{citation |url=https://tdh.gov.tm/ru/post/34440/ukaz-prezidenta-turkmenistana-19 |title=Указ Президента Туркменистана О Председателе Халк Маслахаты Туркменистана |date= 21 January 2023 |language=ru |publisher=Туркменистан сегодня}}</ref><ref name=MilliLider>{{cite news |url=https://tdh.gov.tm/tk/post/34439/turkmenistanyn-prezidentinin-permany-38 |title=Türkmenistanyň Prezidentiniň PERMANY Türkmenistanyň Halk Maslahatynyň Başlygy hakynda |date=21 January 2023 |language=tk |publisher=Türkmenistan Bu gün |access-date=22 January 2023 |archive-date=3 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203132217/https://tdh.gov.tm/tk/post/34439/turkmenistanyn-prezidentinin-permany-38 |url-status=live }}</ref> State media referred to the People's Council as the "supreme organ of government authority".<ref name=abolishNT /> Outside observers consider that the presidency has been stripped of all real authority so that it can be transferred to the National Leader, who is now the genuine chief executive of government. One commentator stated that this makes Turkmenistan an "absolute [[monarchy]]."<ref name=pannier>{{citation |url=https://www.intellinews.com/pannier-a-very-turkmen-coup-268157/ |title=PANNIER: A very Turkmen coup |first=Bruce |last=Pannier |date=27 January 2023 |publisher=bne IntelliNews |access-date=27 January 2023 |archive-date=3 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203132204/https://www.intellinews.com/pannier-a-very-turkmen-coup-268157/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=rferl2>{{citation |url=https://rus.azathabar.com/a/32237729.html |title=«Гурбангулы Бердымухамедов возвёл свою единоличную власть до уровня абсолютной монархии |date=25 January 2023 |publisher=[[RFE/RL]] |language=ru |trans-title=Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow raised is individual authority to the level of absolute monarchy |access-date=27 January 2023 |archive-date=3 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203132206/https://rus.azathabar.com/a/32237729.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=portret>{{citation |url=https://rus.azathabar.com/a/32237441.html |title=В Туркменистане начали повсеместно развешивать портреты Бердымухамедова-старшего |date=24 January 2023 |publisher=[[RFE/RL]] |language=ru |access-date=27 January 2023 |archive-date=27 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127224441/https://rus.azathabar.com/a/32237441.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=podcast>{{citation | url=https://www.rferl.org/a/majlis-podcast-turkmenistan-berdymukhammedov-constitution/32244643.html |title=Turkmenistan: Nice Try, Son |series=Majlis |publisher=[[RFE/RL]] |date=29 January 2023}} podcast (streaming audio)</ref>

====Freedom of association====
Formally, according to the constitution, citizens of Turkmenistan have the right to set up political parties and other public associations, acting within the framework of the constitution and the laws, and public associations and groups of citizens have the right to nominate their candidates in accordance with the election law.{{citation needed|date=March 2015}}<!-- Needs a source; also, do we have any sources on how this works in practice?  paper rights, or rights regualarly and freely exercised by the denizens of Turkmenistan? -->