With the adoption of the current Constitution of Turkmenistan on May 18, 1992, the structure of local government was reformed for all towns and regions in Turkmenistan.
Article 80 of the constitution specified the role of häkim (mayor, lit.
'governor') as the holder of executive power for towns, replacing the previously used council system and its position of chairman.
[1][2] As a result, Batyr Sarjayev, the Chairman of the Ashgabat City Council at the time of adoption, became the first Mayor of Ashgabat.
[2] The following is a list of mayors of Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan.