No election since Turkmenistan's independence in 1991 has been judged by international observers to be free or fair, with the country being described as a totalitarian dictatorship under the rule of Saparmurat Niyazov and Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow.[3] The Democratic Party of Turkmenistan is seen as the only legitimate force, with other parties having been founded after 2012 in order to give the appearance of a multi-party system.[4] All legal parties currently support the government.[5]