Turkmen President's Son Becomes Senior Lawmaker In Parliament

The only son of Turkmenistan's longtime president has become a senior lawmaker at the parliament in Ashgabat.

State-run media in Turkmenistan reported on March 21 that Serdar Berdymukhammedov has become the chairman of parliament's legal affairs committee.

He previously served as head of the Foreign Ministry's information department.

His father, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, has ruled the former Soviet republic in Central Asia since December 2006 when his autocratic predecessor, Saparmurat Niyazov, died from what state media described as a heart attack.

Based on reporting by AP and Neutral Turkmenistan