Tajikistan - Politics 2010
On 25 March 2010 indirect elections were held for all seats in the National Assembly on the normal expiry of the members' term of office. The election for the Assembly of Representatives was held on February 28, 2010. The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) won with 71.4 percent of the vote, gaining 55 seats. This election was highly criticized by international observers for widespread electoral fraud, such a ballot box manipulation and proxy voting.
In May 2009 an armed group led by a former UTO figure, Mullah Abdullo Rahimov, returned to Tajikistan from Afghanistan, reportedly with several foreign fighters. Tajik security forces neutralized this group without outside assistance. Late summer 2010 saw several disturbances, including a major prison-break, the country’s first-ever suicide car bombing, and militant activity in the former opposition areas of the Rasht Valley. By November 2011, all escapees had been recaptured and Rasht remained relatively peaceful. Tajikistan sometimes serves as a transit country for terrorist groups, and narcotics trafficking from Afghanistan is significant. These phenomena have little impact on most residents with respect to safety and security.
The situation inside Tajikistan was shaky, as evidenced by a spate of violence in the Gorno-Badakhshan province in 2012. In July and August 2012, security operations took place in Khorugh, Gorno-Badakhshon Autonomous Oblast (GBAO) after the murder of the head of the regional branch of the State Committee on National Security. The events in Khorugh between government security forces and militants led by Tolib Ayombekov, the former warlord accused of murdering the security services chief. Tajik officials said at least 12 troops were killed along with 30 others loyal to Tolib Ayombekov, various described as criminal group members or rebel fighters. According to government, opposition figures, and civil society member accounts, between four and six civilians were also killed in the fighting against militants. The government failed to suppress the rebellion by the local warlord and had to negotiate.
The third elections since the end of the civil war in 1997 were held for the House of Representatives on 28 February 2010. In the previous elections held in February and March 2005, the People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan (PDPT), led by President Emomali Rahmon, won 52 of the 63 seats at stake. President Rahmon has been in power since 1992 and his PDPT has held an absolute majority in the House of Representatives since a party-based election system was introduced in 2000. The Communist Party of Tajikistan (CPT) and the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) took four and two seats respectively, while the remaining five seats went to independent candidates.
In May 2009, the CPT proposed to abolish the deposit for candidates, currently set at 7,000 somoni (about US$ 1,600) per candidate. It argued that very few people could afford such an amount in a country where well-educated professionals earn US$ 150 per month. However, the amount of the deposit remained unchanged for the 2010 elections.
A total of 221 candidates, including 22 women, representing the country's eight registered parties, contested the 2010 elections. In addition to the three parliamentary parties (the PDPT, the CPT and the IRPT), two pro-government parties were vying for seats: the Party of Economic Reforms of Tajikistan and the Agrarian Party of Tajikistan.
Prior to the elections, Speaker Saidullo Hairulloev (PDPT) announced that he would not contest the 2010 elections. The Minister of Labour and Social Security, Mr. Shukurjon Zuhurov, contested the Speaker's constituency.
In the run-up to the elections, the State media chose to focus on the PDPT government's efforts to meet the country's electricity needs and to export power to neighbouring Afghanistan and Pakistan. Mr. Shodi Shabdolov's CPT called for greater social justice, promising to provide education, medical care and old age with dignity for everybody.
The IRPT, led by Mr. Mukhiddin Kabiri, aimed to be able to form a parliamentary group in the new House of Representatives. The IRPT, which had fought President Rahmon's government in a civil war that lasted from 1992-1997, is the only religious political party in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) whose activities are not sanctioned by the Constitution. The party's membership had doubled to 35,000 since the previous elections in 2005. The Central Commission for Elections and Referenda (CCER) announced that 90.84 per cent of the 3.6 million registered voters turned out at the polls.
The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said that elections had taken place in "a generally good atmosphere". However, it noted serious irregularities, including a high prevalence of family and proxy voting and cases of ballot box stuffing, and declared that the election had failed to meet basic democratic standards. The CIS declared that the elections had been "democratic, transparent and free". The CIS also noted many cases of family voting (one family member casts ballots on behalf of the entire family), but said that this kind of violation was typical for practically all the CIS member nations.
The PDPT won 54 of the 62 seats confirmed in the first round. The CPT, the IRPT, the Agrarian Party of Tajikistan and the Party of Economic Reforms of Tajikistan took two seats each. IRPT leader Mukhiddin Kabiri claimed that his party had won 30 per cent of votes, instead of the 8 per cent announced by the CCER.
In the municipal elections that were held concurrently with the parliamentary elections, Mr. Rustami Emomali, President Rahmon's 23-year-old son, who was widely considered to be in line to succeed his father, was elected to the City Council of the capital Dushanbe.
In the run-off elections held on 14 March, the PDPT candidate won the remaining seat, bringing the party's share to 55. In all, 12 women, all members of the PDPT, were elected. On 16 March, the newly elected House of Representatives held its first session and elected Mr. Shukurjon Zuhurov (PDPT) as its Speaker.
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