Decentralisation Plans in Turkmenistan
Decentralisation Plans in Turkmenistan
The Mejlis or parliament in Turkmenistan is drafting a set of bills designed to give local councils a greater say in national-level policymaking.
Under the planned changes, the “gengesha”, the district or village council, will be allowed to submit recommendations on rural matters direct to parliamentary committees.
President Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov has said local authorities need to be overhauled in order to ensure that decisions taken by central government are carried out on the ground.
The plan is to bring in the new legislation so that it can take effect after a parliamentary election scheduled for December 14.
NBCentralAsian analysts suspect that the real intention is not to devolve power, but to give the central authorities more control over the way things are run in outlying regions. They argue that there is no real division of powers between different tiers of authority in Turkmenistan, and ultimately all the institutions of government are subordinate to the president
“In a country where control is unrelenting, it is inconceivable that there could be any level of independence at local level,” said a commentator in the northern region of Dashoguz.
Under the planned changes, the “gengesha”, the district or village council, will be allowed to submit recommendations on rural matters direct to parliamentary committees.
President Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov has said local authorities need to be overhauled in order to ensure that decisions taken by central government are carried out on the ground.
The plan is to bring in the new legislation so that it can take effect after a parliamentary election scheduled for December 14.
NBCentralAsian analysts suspect that the real intention is not to devolve power, but to give the central authorities more control over the way things are run in outlying regions. They argue that there is no real division of powers between different tiers of authority in Turkmenistan, and ultimately all the institutions of government are subordinate to the president
“In a country where control is unrelenting, it is inconceivable that there could be any level of independence at local level,” said a commentator in the northern region of Dashoguz.
