Turkmenistan will hold an early presidential election on March 12, a Central Election Commission official told Reuters on Saturday, after President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov hinted he planned to resign.
Berdymukhamedov, 64, has run the gas-rich Central Asian nation since 2006 with sweeping powers and no effective opposition. His current term was set to end in 2024.
(Reporting by Marat Gurt; Writing by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)