DUSHANBE, June 20, Asia-Plus — Representatives of the Social democratic Party (SDPT) have offered doubling the number of parliamentarians.
They introduced a motion on increasing the number of parliamentarians at a June 19 meeting of the working group for making changes and addenda to the laws on elections to the Majlisi Oli and elections of members of local legislatures (Majlis).
The meeting participants included representatives of the officially registered political parties and institutions of civil society.
Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, the SDPT deputy leader Shokirjon Hakimov noted that there is the tendency towards the decreasing of influence of parliament in the country.
“In 1990, Tajik parliament had 230 deputies, while in 1995 this figure reduced to 181 and in 2000, with creation of the professional parliament the number of deputies reduced to 97,” said Hakimov, “In the meantime, the country’s population has increased by one million over the past years, reaching more than seven million.” According him, it is easier for the executive power to control smaller parliament.
“We want a parliament that performs its functions and represent all cities and districts of the country,” Hakimov said, noting that increase in number of members should concern mainly the lower houses (Majlisi Namoyandagon) of the parliament (Majlisi Oli).
He noted that under the present parliamentary election law, 65 percent of deputies of the Majlisi Namoyandagon are elected in sing-mandate constituencies and 35 percent by party slates, while the SDPT offers equal percentage of deputies elected in the single-mandate constituencies and by party slates – 50% and 50% respectively.
Only representatives of the Islamic Revival Party (IRPT) agreed with proposals of Social-Democrats. The final decision on the issue on making changes and addenda to the parliamentary election law is supposed to be taken at the next meeting of representatives political parties, scheduled for June 21.
CULTURE
UN Secretary General celebrates writings and influence of renowned Tajik-Persian poet
DUSHANBE, June 20, Asia-Plus /Victoria Naumova/ — The writings of Abu Abdullah Jafar ibn Mohammad Roudaki, the poet considered to have laid the foundations of Tajik-Persian classical literature, should serve as an inspiration to international efforts to combat extremism and attempts to divide peoples and cultures, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon remarked at a commemoration ceremony on the 1150th anniversary of the birth of Roudaki at United Nations Headquarters in New York on June 18, according to UN News Center.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Ban said it was fitting that the world body, given its goals, should celebrate the life of a poet “who so beautifully extolled the virtues of good and justice.
“With simplicity and elegance, Roudaki pioneered a great tradition, laying the foundation for Persian classical literature,” the Secretary General said. “He took poetry from the realm of the abstract into contemporary life. And, in the process, he shed new philosophical light on society. Roudaki is truly the ‘Sultan of Poets’.”
Mr. Ban said Roudaki’s influence is particularly important today, given the work of the UN-backed Alliance of Civilizations, “our initiative to counter extremism and heal the divisions that threaten our world.”
The commemoration, which was attended by many scholars and artists, was organized by the permanent representatives of Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Iran.
