Day of Remembrance of the first President of Turkmenistan Saparmurat Niyazov (21/12)

On December 21, Turkmenistan celebrates the Day of Remembrance of Saparmurat Niyazov (1940-2006) – of the founder and first President of Turkmenistan. The date is included in the list of holidays and memorable dates of Turkmenistan and is not a day off.

Saparmurat Niyazov went down in the history of his country as the first President of Turkmenistan, whose period in power was accompanied by the emergence of independence after secession from the USSR and overcoming the difficulties of the transition period. It was his merits in this field, along with the country receiving the status of a neutral power in 1995, that made Niyazov very popular among his people and led to the fact that during his lifetime he received the title «Turkmenbashi», which literally means «leader or head of Turkmen» from Turkmen. At the same time, a certain cult of Niyazov’s personality was formed in the country, which, among other things, did not prevent him from governing the country and remaining a cult personality after his death.

The path to power for Niyazov began back in Soviet times. At the same time, the period of his actual power in Turkmenistan began, when, as a result of the movement according to party nomenclature, he was appointed in 1985 to the post of First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Turkmen SSR. The emergence of a new post as head of Turkmenistan in 1990 and the elections held at the same time made Saparmurat Ataevich President of the Republic. He held this post until his death in 2006.

The decision of the Mejlis in 1993 gave President Niyazov the title of « head of all Turkmen in the world». After a certain time, it began to be called Turkmenbashi the Great. The election of the President of the Republic in conditions when he was the only candidate, along with his subsequent receipt of the title of Turkmenbashi and virtually unlimited power, became the basis for talk about the formation of Niyazov’s personality cult. This view was further developed after the People's Council of Turkmenistan announced Niyazov's lifelong presidency in 1999.

Despite the fact that after the death of the first President, a campaign began to curtail his cult of personality, Niyazov’s popularity in society remained, and the date of his death became a memorable date at the official level. In Saparmurat Ataevich’s native village, where he is buried, a museum has opened, the exhibition of which tells about the life path of the first President.

Every year on December 21, memorial prayers are held in mosques, and wreaths and flowers are laid at the monuments. Representatives of government agencies, government agencies, public organizations and the media take part in these ceremonies.

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