According to the Constitution, the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan is the highest representative body of Turkmenistan. The Constitutional Law “On the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan” of January 21, 2023 determines the procedure for its establishment and powers. The legal status of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan proceeds from the fundamental constitutional norms on people’s sovereignty and on the exercise by the people of their power directly or through representative bodies.

Since ancient times, the Turkmen people have had a democratic tradition of making decisions vital for the people through discussion at the Gengesh. In the Turkmen society, councils and people’s meetings served as important democratic mechanisms for planning and coordinating socioeconomic processes, preserving the values of the national heritage and passing them on from one generation to another. Throughout the centuries-old history of the Turkmen people, people’s councils have been one of the most democratic institutions, harmonising the system of relations between generations.