Turkmen President proposes constitutional reform

President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov proposed an initiative for the transition to a two chamber system and the unification of the Halk Maslahaty (People’s Council) national forum and the Turkmen Parliament into a single system of representative and legislative bodies, Trend reports referring to the Turkmen government.
This was stated on September 25 during a speech at a meeting of the Halk Maslahaty - the supreme representative body of Turkmenistan in Ashgabat. Continued reforms and an innovative vector of development necessitate the reflection of certain requirements of the public life in the Constitution of Turkmenistan and the effectiveness of legislative activities.
The head of state said that the improvement of the legal status of the Halk Maslahaty is necessary in this regard, the Turkmen Dovlet Habarlary (TDH) state news agency reported. The transition to a qualitatively new two chamber system will allow for representing the interests of all sectors of the Turkmen society and creating the conditions for supervision in law enforcement practice.
This will give an impetus to closer interaction of deputies with voters and strengthening control over the implementation of laws and national programs, the president was quoted as saying.
As reported, Berdimuhamedov signed a decree on the creation of the Constitutional Commission to introduce relevant amendments and additions to the basic law of Turkmenistan. Relevant proposals on the formation of a bicameral parliament will be considered at the next meeting of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan, which will be held in 2020.