EurasiaNet Eurasia Insight - Tajikistan: No Surprises in Presidential Election

EURASIA INSIGHT

TAJIKISTAN: NO SURPRISES IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Joanna Lillis 11/06/06

Incumbent Imomali Rahmonov appeared headed for another seven-year term, as roughly two-thirds of eligible voters turned out for Tajikistan’s presidential elections. Shortly after casting his ballot in the November 6 vote, Rahmonov found himself in the paradoxical position of arguing that it was too soon to expect Tajikistan �s compliance with internationally recognized democratization standards.

The Central Election Commission (CEC) fixed the preliminary turnout figure at 65.3 percent, according to the RIA Novosti news agency. Election results are scheduled to be formally announced on November 7. Given that Rahmonov’s challengers were all relative unknowns, political analysts in Dushanbe widely expect the incumbent’s total to approach the 96 percent that he received in Tajikistan’s 1999 presidential balloting. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Turnout appeared to be brisk at polling stations across Dushanbe. "Seventy-five percent of voters have already voted," Bakhrom Ismoilov, chairman of polling station No 24, told EurasiaNet at midday, and other stations reported similar figures. No violations had been registered. "Voting is going fine � democratically. You can see, it is to international standards � really," said Sukhrob Yusufov, an observer for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) at polling station No 16. "So far there have been no infringements� I don’t think there will be any."

Some foreign observers had sharply differing opinions of the voting, noting instances of ballot stuffing and voter-list tampering. For anyone dissatisfied with the conduct of the vote, Rahmonov had a clear message: Western values aren’t always applicable to elections in Eastern countries.

"Tajikistan is a country where more than 99 per cent of the population is Muslim. We have a different culture, and this has to be taken account of," Rahmonov said, going on to criticize Western nations for possessing double standards on democratization. Tajikistan is working to meet OSCE standards, he added. "As for OSCE standards� we are developing; we have started the process [of meeting them]. Of course this is not without problems� However, there have been some results over these 15 years."

The OSCE will formally present on November 7 its preliminary findings concerning the voting, the same day that the CEC announces its polling results.

With the election’s outcome virtually assured, Rahmonov was in buoyant mood as he voted in Dushanbe. "I voted for peace, national accord and the well-being of all the people of Tajikistan," he told reporters after casting his ballot.

Many voters concurred with the president. "I’m voting for Imomali Rahmonov," said waitress Zukhra Davlatova. "Since the war, he has made Tajikistan normal. It’s calm here, like it was in the Soviet Union � everything’s fine and we sleep well at night."

After five years of civil war in the mid-1990s, many Tajiks place great emphasis on stability, and thus many opted to stick with the incumbent. "I don’t want radical changes," said Shodrukh Mirzoyev, an 18-year-old student and first-time voter, who cast his ballot for Rahmonov. "I like his policy. Before people were fighting; now everything’s very good � politically, economically; we have stability. Of course we would like better, but we are satisfied with what we have."

Rahmonov himself stressed a need for political continuity. "I am conscious that the people have known me for 14, nearly 15 years," Rahmonov said. "If they put their trust in me, that is their right; there are others to choose from."

Rakhmonov was technically correct: he did face competition. The other candidates on the ballot were: the Socialist Party’s Abduhalim Gaffarov; the Agrarian Party’s Amir Karakulov; Olimjon Boboyev for the Party for Economic Reforms; and the Communist Party deputy leader, Ismoil Talbakov. Although Rahmonov’s challengers were given access to broadcast and print media as mandated by law, voters did not seem familiar with their campaign platforms. Local observers said media coverage focused mainly on the president. "I don’t know the other candidates; for some reason they haven’t been covered much in the media - I do buy the papers," said Valentina Morozova, a teacher and an ethnic Russian voting for Rahmonov.

Voters were also unfamiliar with the positions of opposition parties boycotting the poll. The Social Democratic Party and the Democratic Party are boycotting the election, claiming that Rakhmonov manipulated the constitution in order to enable him to run for a third term. In any case, the leader of the Democratic Party, Mahmudruzi Iskandarov, is serving a 23-year prison sentence. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

The Islamic Renaissance Party, perhaps the most influential party after Rahmonov’s PDP, did not field a candidate. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. "There is no more worthy candidate [than Rahmonov], and there won’t be in the near future," said Mirzoyev, the 18-year-old voter.

Editor�s Note: Joanna Lillis is a freelance writer who specializes in Central Asian affairs.

The Central Eurasia Project aims, through its website, meetings, papers, and grants, to foster a more informed debate about the social, political and economic developments of the Caucasus and Central Asia. It is a program of the Open Society Institute-New York. The Open Society Institute-New York is a private operating and grantmaking foundation that promotes the development of open societies around the world by supporting educational, social, and legal reform, and by encouraging alternative approaches to complex and controversial issues.

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