DUSHANBE, May 17, 2011, Asia-Plus — The pre-election team of self-propelled candidate Tolibshoh Saidzoda considers that the May 15 parliamentary by-election must be deemed invalid because of insufficient voter turnout.
Speaking at a news conference in Dushanbe, Tolibshoh Saidzoda, editor-in-chef of the Dushanbe independent weekly
Millat
(Nation), who ran as candidate for a seat in the Majlisi Namoyandagon in the by-election in Dushanbe’s constituency # 4, noted on May 16 that the voter turnout was not more than 20 percent. “Our observers recorded all and we can prove this,” Saidzoda said.
According to him, their observers also recorded instances of violation of the country’s legislation law. “Many voters cast ballots without showing identification documents.”
He considers that the voting process was marred by numerous falsifications. “We have recorded all instances of violation of the election law and we plan to submit them for consideration to the Central Commission for Elections and Referenda (CCER) within the next few days,” Saidzoda added.
We will recall that the head of the district electoral commission Abdullo Habibov told Asia-Plus yesterday that the People’s Democratic party (PDP) candidate, Security Council Secretary Amirqul Azimov, has won the by-election in Dushanbe’s constituency # 4, receiving 68.8 percent of votes. According to him, voter turnout in the by-election that took place on May 15 was recorded at 81 percent. “The constituency numbers 68,266 voters and 55,907 of them participated in the voting process,” Habibov said.
Along with Amirqul Azimov three other candidates participated in the by-election: Muzaffar Mirzoyev nominated by the Agrarian Party (APT); and two self-propelled candidates, including the
Millat
editor Tolibshoh Saidzoda and Safarbek Mannonov, deputy director of the National Medical Center.
“The
Millat
editor Tojlibshoh Saidzoda received 15.99 percent of votes, the APT candidate gained 7.59 percent of votes, and Safarbek Mannonov received 9.9 percent of votes,” said the district electoral commission head, “Besides, 1,157 voters voted against all the candidates and there were 857 spoilt ballot papers.”
The May 15 by-election for Dushanbe”s Sino district is to fill a seat in the lower chamber (Majlisi Namoyandagon) of parliament that fell vacant in March when incumbent Shermahmad Shohiyon was appointed to head the Central Commission for Elections and referenda (CCER).
The Majlisi Namoyandagon — the lower chamber of parliament — consists of 63 deputies elected for a five-year term. Twenty-two seats are divided among parties that gain more than 5 percent of the vote, and the remaining 41 deputies are elected from single-mandate constituencies.
