President of Turkmenistan. Originally a Soviet apparatchik, he initially came to power in 1985 as the First Secretary of the Turkmen Communist Party. After becoming President of the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic in October 1990, he subsequently lead the country to its October 1991 independence and was then elected as the first President of the new independent Turkmenistan in 1992. Niyazov assumed the title of "Turkmenbashi [Head of the Turkmen] the Great" and erected thousands of portraits and statues of himself throughout the country, including a gold leaf statue in Ashgabat that rotated to face the sun. He also named the month of January after himself, as well as a sea port and several towns and villages. Generally recognized as one of the world's most authoritarian and repressive dictators, he often imposed his personal eccentricities upon his country. Under his rule, Turkmenistan had a strict policy of neutrality and declined joining regional security or economic organizations that arose in the wake of the Soviet Union collapse.

President of Turkmenistan. Originally a Soviet apparatchik, he initially came to power in 1985 as the First Secretary of the Turkmen Communist Party. After becoming President of the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic in October 1990, he subsequently lead the country to its October 1991 independence and was then elected as the first President of the new independent Turkmenistan in 1992. Niyazov assumed the title of "Turkmenbashi [Head of the Turkmen] the Great" and erected thousands of portraits and statues of himself throughout the country, including a gold leaf statue in Ashgabat that rotated to face the sun. He also named the month of January after himself, as well as a sea port and several towns and villages. Generally recognized as one of the world's most authoritarian and repressive dictators, he often imposed his personal eccentricities upon his country. Under his rule, Turkmenistan had a strict policy of neutrality and declined joining regional security or economic organizations that arose in the wake of the Soviet Union collapse.

Bio by: Fred Beisser