BRUSSELS, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The European Commission expressed the hope on Thursday that the succession process in Turkmenistan would be orderly after the sudden death of President Saparmurat Niyazov.

    "We learned about the death of President Niyazov this morning. We expect the succession process to be carried out according to the constitution and the rule of law," said Benita Ferrero-Waldner,European Union (EU) commissioner for external relations and European neighborhood policy.

    "We hope that Turkmenistan will again embark on the road toward democracy when a new leader comes to power in the country," she said in a statement on behalf of the commission, the executive body of the EU.

    Finland, which holds the rotating EU presidency, expressed condolences to Niyazov's family.

    "The (EU) Presidency calls on the Turkmen authorities to make every effort to ensure that the succession to President Niyazov proceeds in accordance with international standards," said Finlandin a statement.

    Niyazov, 66, died of a sudden heart failure at early Thursday morning.