DUSHANBE, September 20, 2013, Asia-Plus – The Central Commission for Elections and Referenda (CCER) has made a decision to appoint 68 district election commissions (DECs) to administer the upcoming presidential election scheduled for this November.  Such a decision was made at a meeting of the CCER that took place in Dushanbe on September 19.

Abdumannon Dodoyev, an official with the CCER, says the meeting, presided over by the CCER head Shermuhammad Shohiyon, has also decided to set up additional polling stations in 24 countries around the world in order to facilitate out-of-country voting.

“In Russia alone, 24 polling stations will be set up, in Afghanistan – 4, in Turkey, the United States, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), China and Kazakhstan – 2 in each of these countries, and Azerbaijan, Egypt, India, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, ad a number of European countries – 1 in each of these countries,” Dodoyev said.

Presidential elections in Tajikistan are administered by a three-tiered structure headed by the CCER and including 68 District Election Commissions (DECs) and some 3,200 Precinct Election Commission (PECs).  Additional PECs will be established outside of Tajikistan to facilitate out-of-country voting.

DECs are appointed 45 days before election day by the CCER upon proposals of the local executive authorities.  PECs, in turn, are appointed by the DECs at least 35 days before election day.