This year, Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament) deputies will not travel to regions to explain president’s address to parliament to their voters.

“MPs will not travel to the regions to explain president’s address to parliament to their voters because their powers are nearing termination and the majority of members of the Majlisi Namoyandagon of the current convocation will not run for a new parliament,” an official source within the Majlisi Namoyandagon told Asia-Plus in an interview.  

Meanwhile, incumbent member of the Majlisi Namoyandagon Saidjaffar Usmonzoda, who is also leader of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan (DPT), says he will give a special attention to explanation of president’s address to parliament during his pre-election campaign.  DPT leader will run in proportional elections (party list).

Incumbent deputies of the Majlisi Namoyandagon Dilrabo Mansouri, Firouza Sharifi, Nasiba Sodiqova and Abdurahim Kholiqzoda (all of them are members of ruling People’s Democratic Party) as well as Rustam Latifzoda (leader of the Agrarian Party of Tajikistan), Abduhalim Ghafforov (leader of the Socialist Party of Tajikistan) and Rustam Qudratov (Party of Economic Reforms) will also run in proportional elections.  

Majlisi Namoyandagon is composed of 63 deputies, directly elected by all eligible citizens in a secret ballot.  41 members of it are elected from single mandate constituencies and the remaining 22 on the basis of party lists. 

The 22 party seats, distributed by a proportional system, are disputed in a single republican constituency. Only political parties that are registered by the Ministry of Justice before the announcement of election day can participate.  The political party lists should not contain more than 22 candidates. The law establishes a 5% threshold for political parties to be represented in the Majlisi Namoyandagon.