Turkmenistan president dies

Source: CCTV.com | 12-21-2006 17:52

Turkmenistan state television is reporting that President Saparmurat Niyazov died early Thursday of sudden heart failure.

The 66-year-old Niyazov had been in power in the Central Asian state since 1985. There is no designated successor and his death raises concerns about the transfer of power in the natural gas-rich former Soviet state.

Editor:Ji Xuewen