DUSHANBE, February 24, 2009, Asia-Plus / -- Chairman of Tajikistan’s Central Commission for Elections and Referenda (CCER) Mirzoali Boltuyev today met with visiting Deputy Secretary of the Venice Commission Thomas Markert.

The source at CCER said the sides had discussed issues related to holding of elections.  Mr. Boltuyev, in particular, noted that Tajikistan had gained enough experience in holding free and transparent elections.

In the course of the talks, he briefed Mr. Markert on the course of preparation for upcoming parliamentary elections in the country due in February 2010.

For his part, Mr. Markert noted that the European Union was ready to provide assistance with holding of democratic elections in Tajikistan and improvement of the national election legislation.

The European Commission for Democracy through Law, better known as the Venice Commission, is the Council of Europe''s advisory body on constitutional matters.  Established in 1990, the commission has played a leading role in the adoption of constitutions that conform to the standards of Europe''s constitutional heritage.

Initially conceived as a tool for emergency constitutional engineering, the commission has become an internationally recognized independent legal think-tank.

It contributes to the dissemination of the European constitutional heritage, based on the continent''s fundamental legal values while continuing to provide “constitutional first-aid” to individual states.  The Venice Commission also plays a unique and unrivalled role in crisis management and conflict prevention through constitution building and advice.