The 29-year old son of Tajikistan’s president has been nominated for Dushanbe’s local parliament (Majlis).

He has been nominated for election by the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP). 

“Rustam Emomali will compete for a seat in the Dushanbe legislature with Fazliddin Ikormov, the representative of the Agrarian Party of Tajikistan (APT), and Hikmatullo Saidiyon, the representative of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan (DPT),” a source at the Dushanbe electoral commission told Asia-Plus in an interview.  

According to him, Rustam Emomali will compete for a seat in the Dushanbe legislature in constituency # 25.

Besides, the PDP has also nominated Mahmadsaid Zuvaydzoda the first deputy mayor of Dushanbe, to compete for a seat in Dushanbe’s local parliament in constituency # 62.  He will compete with Ms. Masuma Asliyeva, nominated by the APT.  

Bi-elections in these two constituencies are scheduled for April 2, 2017.

Recall, former Dushanbe mayor Mahmadsaid Ubaidulloyev and former head of Ubaidulloyev’s office Firouz Ulmasov represented those constituencies in Dushanbe’s legislature.  

They gave up their seats in the city's local parliament in early February.

President Emomali Rahmon's eldest son, Rustam Emomali, replaced Ubaidulloev as mayor of Dushanbe on January 12, 2017.

Ubaidulloev, 64, held the post for 19 years. He still remains chairman of the parliament's upper chamber, the Majlisi Milli.

Rustam Emomali was born on December 19, 1987.  At a mere 23 years of age, he has served as a member of Dushanbe’s local council (Majlis), as deputy chairman of the Youth Union of Tajikistan, as vice-president of Tajikistan’s Football Association, and as the head of the Small and Medium-Sized Business Support Agency at the State Committee for Investments and State-owned Property Management.

In late February 2011, Rustam Emomali was appointed to head the Customs Service’s smuggling-busting department.  Afterwards he was appointed deputy head of the Customs Service.

On November 30, 2013, Rustam Emomali was appointed to head the Customs Service under the Government of Tajikistan

In 2015, he was appointed to head the anti-corruption agency. 

Despite his youth, Rustam Emomali already holds the rank of general.

He is one of founders and owners of Tajikistan’s Istiqlol Club.  In the recent past, he played soccer for this club.

Rustam Emomali is married with three children.