Excerpts from report by Tajik TV on 1st March

[Presenter] The elections of deputies to the Assembly of Representatives and
local councils have been the last step in the implementation of the general
agreement on peace and national accord.
[Passage omitted: more on political importance of the event; as a whole it
was positively assessed by observers, but a joint UN/OSCE statement
criticized Tajik media coverage of the election process]

[Correspondent, speaking over archive footage of polling stations on 27th
March, international officials, TV election adverts, and some campaign
footage] After the 14th session of the Supreme Assembly of the first
convocation had approved a new constitutional law on elections to the
Supreme Assembly of Tajikistan, the Tajik TV prepared a special programme
entitled "Elections and society". Certain chapters of the law were read
out, specialists from the president's executive apparatus, the Supreme
Assembly, the Ministry of Justice, courts and the prosecutor's office,
lawyers, political analysts from the republican Academy of Science were
invited by Tajik TV to explain main points of the law to the people.

Round-table discussions were held with the involvement of representatives of
various sections of society. They thoroughly discussed requirements of the
law and the importance of the election of a professional parliament.
Daily news bulletins in Tajik, Russian, Uzbek and English, morning
television programmes, weelky analytical reviews and the programmes like
"Elections and the youth", "Woman and society" and "Man and the law"
included commentaries on the new election law. Every day Tajik TV run
promotion videos, both its own or prepared by the UN mission in Tajikistan.

However, the joint UN and OSCE statement says that Tajik media did not
provide proper coverage of the elections campaign. However, in line with
the new constitutional law on parliamentary elections, a special Tajik TV
technical team was from 6th February to 26th February 2000 regularly airing
10-minute election broadcasts by various political parties and candidates.
Over 40 candidates and their proxies appeared on the republican TV during
these 20 days.

Tajik TV has not received any complaints over its coverage from any specific
candidates or political parties. Tajik TV created all necessary conditions
for candidates and their proxies to record and air their campaign
broadcasts. There was not a TV debate between all political parties only
because some parties had not sent their representatives. Nevertheless,
representatives and the leaders of all six political parties appeared on
Tajik TV.

It is noteworthy that in line with the law on elections, the Central
Electoral and Referendum Commission allocated 10-minute air slots to each
candidate, 15-minute slots for debates between political parties and
five-minute slots to candidates' proxies. Many candidates appeared on
Regional TV stations, which belong to the [State] Radio and Television
Committee under the Tajik government. On the average, Tajik TV provided 25
minutes daily for election broadcasts; their duration decreased to six
minutes on the last days of the campaign - 23rd, 24th and 25th February.
Thus, the conclusion of the joint UN and OSCE mission on the activity of
Tajik TV is groundless and is absolute slander.

Source: Tajik Television first channel , Dushanbe, in Tajik 1530 gmt 01 Mar
00
BBC Mon CAU 050300/** BB