Түркіменстан Мәжілісінің тарихы мен құрылымы

Unicameral legislature of Turkmenistan

The Assembly is the unicameral legislature of Turkmenistan. Between March 2021 and 21 January 2023, it was the lower house of the National Council of Turkmenistan. It consists of 125 members, who are elected for five year terms in single seat constituencies.

In addition to the speaker (chairperson) and deputy speaker, the Mejlis is organised into committees, which are decided on at the beginning of each convocation. A 2003 law reduced the power of the Assembly and augmented that of the People's Council. This meant that until 2008 the Assembly could be legally dissolved by the People's Council, was led by the President, and was no longer able to amend the Constitution. Subsequently, the People's Council was demoted and reorganised into the Council of Elders by a new constitution drafted by Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow in 2008, making the Assembly/Mejlis the unicameral parliament again. However, following the adoption of another new constitution in September 2016, President Berdimuhamedow issued a decree on 10 October 2017 transforming the Council of Elders back into the People's Council. The first meeting of the re created upper chamber took place following the 2018 regional and local elections. Election to the upper chamber was held on 28 March 2021. In January 2023 both chambers of parliament proposed to abolish the People's Council (Halk Maslahaty) as a legislative organ, to reform it as an independent body, and to place all legislative authority in a unicameral Mejlis. A joint session of the National Council voted unanimously in favour of this on 22 January 2023, re establishing a unicameral parliament with the Assembly as its sole chamber. Elections were held on 26 March 2023 for the seventh session of the Mejlis. On 6 April 2023, Dunýagözel Akmuhammedowna Gulmanowa was elected speaker. The previous chairman of the Mejlis was Gülşat Mämmedowa from 30 March 2018 until 6 April 2023. Mämmedowa succeeded Akja Nurberdiýewa.