Turkmen assembly meets to decide future

ASHGABAT, Dec 26 (Reuters) A Soviet-style People's Assembly meets in Turkmenistan today to set out the Central Asian nation's path for replacing authoritarian President Saparmurat Niyazov who died suddenly last week.

President-for-life Niyazov, who died on Thursday after ruling the country for 21 years, left no heir apparent and his demise fuelled fears of a dangerous power vacuum in the country, whose rich gas reserves are important for Europe.

Deputy Prime Minister Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, 49, has stepped forward as acting president with the backing of the security leaders close to Niyazov who formed a new Security Council after his death.

Today's meeting of the Halk Maslakhaty -- 2,500 delegates including members of parliament, government and local officials, village elders and others picked by Niyazov -- is expected to set a date for fresh presidential elections.

The assembly, modelled on the Soviet Union's Congress of People's Deputies, is Turkmenistan's highest legislative body.

It was not clear whether anything apart from an election date might emerge from the meeting which starts at 1430 hrs GMT), although there were signs Berdymukhamedov, could be named as the main candidate for the presidency in a sign of orderly transition.

''You would imagine that he would be the main candidate,'' a diplomat said. ''The signs are of a stable transition, which looks promising for the immediate stability of the country.'' Another big question is whether there would be a single leader wielding unfettered power. Exiled opposition leaders have suggested today's meeting could throw light on the true balance of forces.

''Names mentioned at the moment are temporary,'' Khudaiberdy Orazov, leader of the Watan opposition movement said. ''Tomorrow, the real people who will rule everything will appear.'' Niyazov crushed all dissent and modelled his security apparatus on the Soviet KGB, making it crucial for his successor to have the support of the powerful sector -- often referred to as ''siloviki'' in the ex-Soviet world.

''I don't know what will happen later on if there's any disagreement between the 'siloviki', but for the moment it is clear that they have agreed to back one candidate,'' another foreign diplomat in Ashgabat told Reuters.

Both diplomats cautioned that the situation was too unpredictable, and the acting government too secretive, to predict how exactly the country of 5 million would be run.

Sunday's funeral of the man who proclaimed himself Turkmenbashi the Great, or Head of the Turkmen, and then applied the name to streets, towns, banks, buildings and even a brand of vodka, suggested that Turkmenistan's acting rulers plan at least for now to maintain his cult of personality.

While Niyazov is criticised in the West for his poor human rights record, policies such as free electricity and gas and extremely cheap petrol meant many did see him as the ''father of the nation'' depicted in ubiquitous state propaganda.

Reuters MQA VP0625