Saparmurat Niyazov
| Saparmyrat Nyýazow | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 1st President of Turkmenistan | |
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In office 2 November 1990 – 21 December 2006 |
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| Preceded by | office established |
| Succeeded by | Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow |
| First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Turkmenistan | |
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In office 21 December 1985 – 16 December 1991 |
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| Preceded by | Muhammetnazar Gapurow |
| Succeeded by | post abolished |
| Full member of the 28th Politburo | |
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In office 14 July 1990 – 29 August 1991 |
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| Leader of the Democratic Party | |
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In office 27 October 1991 – 21 December 2006 |
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| Preceded by | position established |
| Succeeded by | Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov Saparmyrat Ataýewiç Nyýazow 19 February 1940 Gypjak, Turkmen SSR, Soviet Union |
| Died | 21 December 2006 (aged 66) Ashgabat, Turkmenistan |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Political party |
Communist Party of Turkmenistan (1962–1991) Democratic Party of Turkmenistan (1991–2006) |
| Spouse(s) | Muza Sokolova Russian: Муза Соколова |
| Children |
Murat Irina |
| Profession | Electrical Engineer |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
| Alma mater | Leningrad Polytechnic Institute |
Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov (Turkmen: Saparmyrat Ataýewiç Nyýazow, Сапармырат Атайевич Ныязов; 19 February 1940 – 21 December 2006) was a Turkmen politician who served as the leader of Turkmenistan from 1985 until his death in 2006. He was First Secretary of the Turkmen Communist Party from 1985 until 1991 and continued to lead 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". 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.
Foreign media criticized him for being one of the world's most totalitarian and repressive dictators, highlighting his reputation of imposing his personal eccentricities upon the country, which extended to renaming months for details of his own biography among other things.Global Witness, a London-based human rights organization, 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 supposedly situated in the Foreign Exchange Reserve Fund at Deutsche Bank in Germany.
Niyazov was born on 19 February 1940 in Gypjak (or Kipchak), just outside Ashgabat in the Turkmen SSR. He was a member of the influential Tekke tribe. According to the official version of his biography, his father died in World War II fighting against Nazi Germany, while other sources contend that he dodged fighting and was therefore sentenced by a military court. The other members of his family were killed in the 1948 Ashgabat earthquake that caused extreme damage and a high number of casualties the city. His mother Gurbansoltan Eje was part of the Cult of personality later. He grew up in a Soviet orphanage before the state put him in the custody of a distant relative.
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