Saparmurat Niyazov

Türkmenbaşy Saparmurat Niyazov
Saparmyrat Nyýazow
Niyazov in 2002
1st President of Turkmenistan
In office 2 November 1990 – 21 December 2006
Prime Minister	Han Ahmedow (1990–92)
Vice President	Ata Çaryýew Orazgeldi Aýdogdyew Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow
Leader of the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan
In office 27 October 1991 – 21 December 2006
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow
First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Turkmenistan
In office 21 December 1985 – 16 December 1991
Preceded by	Muhammetnazar Gapurow
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Full member of the 28th Politburo
In office 14 July 1990 – 29 August 1991
Personal details
Born	Saparmyrat Ataýewiç Nyýazow (1940-02-19)19 February 1940 Gypjak, Turkmen SSR, Soviet Union
Died	21 December 2006(2006-12-21) (aged 66) Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
Political party	Democratic Party of Turkmenistan (1991–2006)
Other political affiliations	Communist Party of Turkmenistan (1962–1991) Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1962–1991)
Spouse	Muza Melnikova ​ (m. 1967)​ [1]
Children	2
Parents	Atamyrat Nyýazow (father) Gurbansoltan Niýazowa (mother)
Education	Leningrad Polytechnic Institute
Profession	Electrical engineer
Nickname	Türkmenbaşy
Military service
Allegiance	Turkmenistan
Branch/service	Armed Forces of Turkmenistan
Rank	General of the Army[2]

This article is part of a series about Saparmurat Niyazov
CPT CPSU TDP 1990 1992 President of Turkmenistan 1990-2006 Government independence referendum 1994 term referendum Constitution Ministry of Defense Melon Day alphabet 2002 week Walk of Health Türkmenbaşy the Great Türkmenbaşy Ruhy Mosque Saparmyrat Hajji Mosque Turkmenization Neutrality Monument Nyýazow's Honour March Owadandepe election 1990 Supreme elections 1994 parliamentary election 1999 2004 Others Niyazovism 22nd Motor Rifle Division Family Muza Niýazowa Atamyrat Nyýazow Gurbansoltan Eje
v t e

Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov (Russian: Сапармурат Атаевич Ниязов; Turkmen: Saparmyrat Ataýewiç Nyýazow;^[a] 19 February 1940 – 21 December 2006), also known as Türkmenbaşy,^[b] was a Turkmen dictator who ruled Turkmenistan from 1985 until his death in 2006. He was first secretary of the Turkmen Communist Party from 1985 until 1991 and supported the 1991 Soviet coup attempt. He continued to rule Turkmenistan for 15 years after independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Turkmen media referred to him using the title, His Excellency Saparmurat Türkmenbaşy, President of Turkmenistan and Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers.^[3] His self-given title Türkmenbaşy, meaning Head of the Turkmen, referred to his position as the founder and president of the Association of Turkmens of the World.^[4] In 1999, the Assembly of Turkmenistan declared Niyazov President for life of Turkmenistan.

In his time, he was one of the world's most totalitarian, despotic, and repressive dictators.^[5][6] He promoted a cult of personality around himself and imposed his personal eccentricities upon the country, such as renaming Turkmen months and days of the week to references of his autobiography the Ruhnama.^[7] He made it mandatory to read the Ruhnama in schools, universities and governmental organizations; new governmental employees were tested on the book at job interviews and an exam on its teachings was a part of the driving test in Turkmenistan. In 2005, he closed down all rural libraries and hospitals outside of the capital city Ashgabat, in a country where at that time more than half the population lived in rural areas,^[8] once stating that, "If people are ill, they can come to Ashgabat."^[9]

Under his rule, Turkmenistan had the lowest life expectancy in Central Asia. Global Witness, a London-based human rights organisation, reported that money under Niyazov's control and held overseas may be in excess of US$3 billion, of which between $1.8–$2.6 billion was allegedly situated in the Foreign Exchange Reserve Fund at Deutsche Bank in Germany.^[10]

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).