Turkmen leader sacks officials picked by predecessor

ASHGABAT, May 22 (Reuters) Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov today fired two senior officials, the latest in a string of high-profile sackings since the death of his autocratic predecessor in the the Central Asian nation.

Saparmurat Niyazov, who ruled the gas-rich state with an iron fist for 21 years, died of a heart attack in December 2006.

The new leader, Berdymukhamedov, has fired a number of old-guard officials since then and promised to undo some of Niyazov's harshest policies.

Today, state media reported he had dismissed two more men -- Railroad Transport Minister Orazberdy Khudaiberdyyev and the mayor of the capital Ashgabat, Orazmurad Esenov.

The state news agency said the president gave Khudaiberdyyev, appointed by Niyazov in 2003, ''the most disagreeable assessment for allowing serious setbacks in the sector''.

On the mayor, appointed in 2005, the Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper said the president was unhappy with delays and inconsistencies in the constuction sector in Ashgabat.

Earlier this month, Berdymukhamedov sacked his chief bodyguard, a powerful figure behind the scenes under the previous ruler.

Reuters NC DB2334