Excerpts from report by Tajik radio on 31st January

Tajik President Emomali Rahmonov received the chairman of the republic's
Central Election and Referendum Commission [CERC], Mirzoali Boltuyev,
today. Our correspondent, Shohona Sulaymon, has the story in her report.
[Sulaymon] [passage omitted: they discussed preparations for the
parliamentary elections; the elections should be held free, democratic and
within the law]. When the meeting with President Rahmonov ended, the
chairman of the CERC, Mirzoali Boltuyev, told national and foreign
journalists the following about the outcome of the talks.

[Boltuyev] On the whole, it can be said that a special meeting took place
between the country's president and the chairman of the CERC. I briefed the
president on preparations for the elections in the republic. Of course, you
know that 41 election districts currently exist in the republic. In all,
272 candidates have been nominated by these single-seat constituencies.
Moreover, every six political parties registered by the Justice Ministry
have nominated 22 candidates each. A meeting of the CERC was held on 20th
January and we jointly registered the six parties' candidates in an
organized manner. All these were publicized by the media. Furthermore, you
know that their registration began on 13th January and will continue until
6th February. To date,13 election districts have presented to us protocols
on the registration of candidates, which include 54 candidates. This means
that four candidates are running in each constituency.

Well, 6th [February] will arrive. Several working groups have been set up
under the CERC. A working group with foreign and international observers,
who will arrive to monitor the elections, and also a press group have been
set up. All of you know that, once a candidate is registered, his or her
canvassing should begin. The parties are canvassing and publishing
biographies of almost all their candidates through their papers.

Source: Tajik Radio first programme, Dushanbe, in Tajik 0800 gmt 31 Jan 00
BBC Mon CAU 310100/** GAR/MI