Tajik journalist and expert on Tajikistan’s politics, Nourali Davlat, believes that the ‘nonpartisan’ central election commission will change nothing and it will remain controlled by the authorities.   

Before adoption of the law on the Central Commission for Elections and Referenda (CCER) practically all officially registered political parties have been represented in the central election commission.

“However, they have not had the deciding influence on parliamentary or presidential elections,” Nourali Davlat told Asia-Plus in an interview.   

He believes that the ‘nonpartisan’ electoral commission will also be controlled by the country’s authorities and it will change nothing when carrying out the parliamentary and presidential elections next year.  

“The concept “multiparty system” itself is purely formal for Tajikistan, because practically all the officially registered political parties are ‘obedient’ to the authorities,” the expert stressed.  

Today, seven political parties have been registered in Tajikistan: the People’s Democratic Party; the Democratic Party, the Communist Party; the Socialist Party; the Agrarian Party; the Party of Economic Reforms; and the Social-Democratic Party.  

Recall, the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower house of parliament) on June 24 endorsed a bill on “The Central Commission for Elections ad Referenda” offered by the Government.  

The bill, in particular, prohibits members of the country’s central election commission from being members of political parties.

Besides, members of political parties also cannot be appointed to the district electoral commissions.  If they become members of the district electoral commission, they should suspend their membership in the political party.     

MP Jabbor Ahmadov considers that the law gives equal rights to political parties for participating in elections.  

In 2020, the parliamentary elections will take place in Tajikistan in the spring and the presidential elections will be held in the country in the autumn.