The United Tajik Opposition leader, Sayed Abdullo Nuri, has said that
opposition representatives were not "admitted to certain electoral district
commissions in violation of the Central Election and Referendum Commission
resolution" during the elections to the lower chamber of parliament and of
representatives of local councils on 27th February. In an interview to
Mashhad radio the same day, Nuri also predicted that there would be "ballot
rigging or other irregularities" in the elections. There were minor
irregularities, such as "one person voting on behalf of other family
members", an independent observer told the radio. The following are
excerpts from the report by Iranian radio from Mashhad on 27th February:

[Presenter] The report by our correspondent, Davlatkarim Rahmat, indicates
that there has not been any serious lawbreaking in the elections to the
Tajik parliament. Despite this, first protests have already been voiced
against irregularities in the election process.

[passage omitted: correspondent on election procedure in Tajikistan; head of
a precinct commission says everything was done according to the law]

[Correspondent] At the same time an independent observer at Danghara
[southern Tajikistan] electoral district, Mr Numonov, says:

[Numonov] As you see, the ballot boxes are placed well, there is enough
room, the polling station is well equipped to meet democratic norms. I, as
other observers, there were also other observers, participated in the
process of sealing the ballot boxes. Everything was done according to the
requirements. The turnout is also good now. The vote is being conducted
freely and democratically. The only shortcoming, to which one has become
accustomed, and which probably will be gradually eliminated in future, is
that there are some people who are casting votes on behalf of their family
members. Only such cases are being observed here.

[Correspondent] Another thing is that after casting his vote, the chairman
of the National Reconciliation Commission, Sayed Abdullo Nuri, [who is also
the leader of the United Tajik Opposition (UTO)], told journalists that UTO
representatives were not admitted to many of the electoral districts'
counting commissions and that is why he thinks that the major provision of
the protocol on political guarantees for holding fair elections of 5th
November 1999 [signed by Nuri and Tajik President Emomali Rahmonov] was not
fully implemented. Sayed Abdullo Nuri, in particular, said:

[Nuri] We, in particular, can say that, for some reasons, senior officials
in certain [administrative] districts and electoral districts did not admit
them [opposition representatives to counting commissions]. There was a
special resolution endorsed by the Central Election and Referendum
Commission [CERC] stipulating the presence of our representatives at the
electoral district commissions, however they did not take into account even
this resolution.

[Correspondent] The chairman of the NRC also said that there was a great
probability of ballot rigging in the counting process.

[Nuri] At the beginning of this conversation I said that ballot rigging or
other irregularities will take place.

[Correspondent] Thus, elections to a bicameral parliament have taken place
in Tajikistan, after 11 years of fighting for it and, according to the
general agreement on establishing peace [and national reconciliation signed
by Nuri and Rahmonov in Moscow in June 1997], after the new parliament is
elected, the peace process will be completed.

However, according to senior CERC officials, there may be a second round of
voting in certain single-mandate electoral districts, if any of the
candidates does not win over 50 per cent of the vote.

Source: Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mashhad, in Persian 1600 gmt
27 Feb 00
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