Turkmen President Niyazov Dies at 66

President Saparmurat Niyazov, Turkmenistan's eccentric and iron-fisted leader who created a lavish cult of personality during two decades of rule over his isolated nation, died Thursday. He was 66.

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The first major character test for Turkmenistan's new leadership has produced inconclusive results.

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After 21 years of iron-fisted rule by the late president Saparmurat Niyazov, gas-rich Central Asian country Turkmenistan seems on the verge of a sham presidential election.

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Turkmenistan's President Saparmurat Niyazov, who ruled the gas-rich Central Asian country for 21 years, has died aged 66, state television has reported. He reportedly died at about 0110 local time (2010 GMT Wednesday) of a sudden cardiac arrest, the TV said.

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