Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov
| Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 2nd President of Turkmenistan | |
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Assumed office 21 December 2006 Acting to 14 February 2007 |
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| Vice President | Raşit Meredow |
| Preceded by | Saparmurat Niyazov |
| Leader of the Democratic Party | |
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In office 21 December 2006 – 18 August 2013 Acting: 21 December 2006 – 4 August 2007 |
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| Preceded by | Saparmurat Niyazov |
| Succeeded by | Kasymguly Babaev |
| Vice-President of Turkmenistan | |
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In office 1 March 2001 – 14 February 2007 |
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| President | Saparmurat Niyazov |
| Preceded by | Orazgeldi Aýdogdyew |
| Succeeded by | Raşit Meredow |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Gurbanguly Mälikgulyýewiç Berdimuhamedow 29 June 1957 Babarap, Turkmen SSR, Soviet Union |
| Political party |
Democratic (Before 2013) Independent (2013–present) |
| Spouse(s) | Ogulgerek Berdimuhamedov |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | Turkmen State Medical Institute |
| Military service | |
| Rank | General of the Army |
Gurbanguly Mälikgulyýewiç Berdimuhamedow (born June 29, 1957) is a Turkmen politician who has served as the President of Turkmenistan since February 2007. Berdimuhamedow, a dentist by profession, served in the government under President Saparmurat Niyazov as Minister of Health beginning in 1997 and as Vice-President beginning in 2001. He became Acting President following Niyazov's death on 21 December 2006 and subsequently won the February 2007 presidential election. He faced no meaningful opposition in the vote and won by an overwhelming margin. In the February 2012 presidential election, he was re-elected with 97% of the vote. In the February 2017 presidential election, he was re-elected to a third term with 97% of the vote. Like with his predecessor, a personality cult is promoted around Berdimuhamedow. According to Human Rights Watch, he and his relatives and associates receive unlimited power and total control over all aspects of public life. He uses the honorific title Arkadag, meaning "protector".
Berdimuhamedow was born on 29 June 1957 in Babarap, in what is now the Geok Tepe etrap ("district") of Ahal Province, to and Ogulabat Ataýewna Kürräýewa. He graduated from the Turkmen State Medical Institute in 1979 and entered a career in dentistry. He also received a PhD in medical sciences in Moscow. By 1992 he had become part of the dentistry faculty at the Medical Institute.
In 1995, during the rule of Saparmurat Niyazov, Berdimuhamedov became head of the dentistry center of the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry. He was appointed to the government as Minister of Health in 1997, and he was additionally appointed as Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers (also referred to as Deputy Prime Minister, despite the lack of a Prime Ministerial post in Turkmenistan), a post akin to that of a Vice-President, in 2001. In April 2004, Niyazov suspended Berdimuhamedow's salary for three months because healthcare workers were also not being paid.
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