DUSHANBE, December 20, 2011, Asia-Plus — the Central Commission for Elections and Referenda (CCER) met yesterday to review the results of Sunday’s by-election for a seat in the lower chamber (Majlisi Namoyandagon) of parliament representing Dushanbe’s Shohmansour district (constituency # 3). The seat was previously occupied by Safarali Rajabov, who died in October.
The CCER source says Suhrob Sharipov, the candidate of the ruling People’s Democratic Party of Tajikistan (PDPT), was registered as deputy of the Majlisi Namoyandagon.
Four persons, namely Mr. Abduhalim Gafarov, Chairman of the Socialist Party of Tajikistan (SPT), Mr. Abduqahhor Tursunov, Vice-Chancellor of Tajik Technical University, Mr. Suhrob Sharipov, representative of the People’s Democratic Party of Tajikistan (PDP), and Mr. Suhrob Oymahmadov, representative of the Party of Economic Reforms of Tajikistan, ran in the parliamentary by-election that took place on December 18.
As it had been reported earlier, Suhrob Sharipov won 78.82 percent of the vote, with Gafarov, Tursunov and Oymahmadov just 5.97, 5.68 and 6.11 percent 2 percent of the vote respectively.
Meanwhile, the opposition parties did not nominate candidates for the by-election.
The Social-Democratic Party of Tajikistan head Rahmatilo Zoirov, for example, said that until the electoral law is changed and opposition parties are represented on the electoral commissions at all levels, government officials will be able to arrange the outcome of all elections in advance.
The CCER also set the date of by-elections to the Majlisi Milli (Tajikistan’s upper house of parliament) in constituencies # 2 (Sughd province), # 3 (Khatlon province) and # 5 (districts subordinate to the center) on December 19. The by-elections are set for February 25, 2012.
We will recall that the Majlisi Milli speaker on December 15 accepted resignation of three members of the Majlisi Milli yesterday – ex-mayor of the city of Istaravshan Munim Kholiqov, ex-chairman of the Roudaki district Mansour Qodirov, and ex-chairman of the Panj district Mirzodavlat Saburov.
The Majlisi Milli is the upper chamber with 33 members; 25 elected for a five year term by deputies of local councils of the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region, regions and their towns and districts, Dushanbe city and its districts, towns and districts subordinate to the center and 8 members appointed by the president.
The Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region, regions, Dushanbe City, towns and districts subordinate to the centre have an equal number of representatives in the Majlisi Milli.
Each former President of the Republic of Tajikistan shall be the life member of the Majlisi Milli, if he doesn’t refuse to use this right. Former Tajik President Qahhor Mahkamov is member of the Majlisi Milli.
