Turkmenistan · Legislation
Legislation and primary sources
Where to find the authoritative text of the law in Turkmenistan, and how to confirm it is still in force.
Sources of law, ranked
- The Constitution
- Conformity of legislation with it is determined by the Mejlis, not by any court.
- Laws of the Mejlis
- The Civil Code 1998, Criminal Code and Labour Code 2009 are the principal instruments.
- Presidential decrees and resolutions
- The dominant source of operative regulation in practice.
- Acts of the Halk Maslahaty
- Re-established in 2023 as a supreme representative body distinct from the legislature.
- International treaties
- Ratified treaties form part of domestic law; Turkmenistan's permanent neutrality was recognised by the UN General Assembly in 1995.
The legislative process
Bills are introduced by the President, deputies of the Mejlis, the Cabinet of Ministers or the Supreme Court. The Mejlis considers and adopts them, and the President signs and promulgates. Because the President chairs the Cabinet and appoints the judiciary, and because the Mejlis has never rejected a presidential initiative, the process functions as promulgation rather than deliberation. There is no published mechanism for public consultation on drafts and no committee evidence-taking in any accessible form.
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