DUSHANBE, November 13, Asia-Plus — President Emomali Rahmonov today held a meeting with his former opponents for president.
The president met with Olimjon Boboyev of the Party of Economic Reforms, Amir Qaraqulov of the Agrarian Party, Abduhalim Ghafforov of the Socialist Party and Ismoil Talbakov of the Communist Party.
A source at presidential press service said that during the meeting Rahmonov offered his former opponents to submit to the government their program documents and wishes how to enhance the government activity.
After the meeting with the president, Olimjon Boboyev of the Party of Economic Reforms noted that the presidential election had been fair and transparent. Asked whether the president offered them any positions, Boboyev said that that issue had not been discussed at the meeting
Speaking to journalists, Ismoil Talbakov of the Communist Party said that Rahmonov had offered them to submit their election programs for consideration to the government. “It will be a single program of society and political parties will cooperate with each other for development of society in the future as well,” Talbakov said.
Five candidates ran for presidency: the head of the Party of Economic Reforms, Tajik Transport Institute head Olimjon Boboyev, Socialist Party leader Abduhalim Ghafforov, Agrarian Party leader Amir Qaraqulov, incumbent President Emomali Rahmonov, who is also the leader of the ruling People’s Democratic Party, and the Communist Party Central Committee Secretary and a deputy of the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament), Ismoil Talbakov.
The initial results of the polls give Rahmonov 79.3 of the vote. The closest of his four opponents, Olimjon Boboyev of the Party of Economic Reforms, got 6.2 percent. According to the initial report, Amir Qaraqulov got 5.3 percent, Ismoil Talbakov 5.1 percent and Abduhalim Ghafforov 2.8 percent. 1.3 percent of voting-papers were declared invalid.
