Text of report by the Tajik news agency Asia-Plus on 1st March

Local authorities violated the election law from the outset of the election
campaign to the voting day, a statement issued yesterday, 29th February, by
the leadership of the Islamic Rebirth Party of Tajikistan says.
Unfortunately, the protocol on political guarantees signed by Tajik
President Emomali Rahmonov and the leader of the United Tajik Opposition,
Sayed Abdullo Nuri [the Islamic Rebirth Party leader], on 5th November 1999
was not observed, the statement says.

The statement says that representatives of some parties were not allowed
into polling stations and there were cases when one person cast several
ballots and when staff of electoral commissions put signatures for voters.
The illegal interference in the voting process might aggravate the social
and political situation in the country and hamper the process of
democratization, [the statement says]. The leadership of the Islamic
Rebirth Party of Tajikistan urged the mission of UN and OSCE observers, the
countries guaranteeing the peace process in Tajikistan to analyse the
results of the Tajik elections and jointly to look for ways out of the
situation.

Source: Asia-Plus news agency, Dushanbe, in Russian 0853 gmt 01 Mar 00
BBC Mon CAU 010300/** BB/SK