DUSHANBE, February 19, 2016, Asia-Plus /Avaz Yuldoshev/ — It has become a practice with the Social-Democratic Party (SDP) leader Rahmatillo Zoyirov to make unfounded statements ahead of any political event, especially elections, Abdumannon Dodozoda, the head of the Central Commission for Elections and Referenda (CCER)’s office, told Asia-Plus in an interview.
According to him, Rahmatillo Zoyirov is stirring trouble.
“At the end of last week, the central electoral commission sent letters to all the seven officially registered political parties proposing to nominate their representatives to the commissions of 68 constituencies that have been set up for the constitutional referendum scheduled for May 22,” Dodozoda said.
To-date, the People’s Democratic, Communist, Agrarian, Socialist, Economic Reforms, and Democratic parties have begun nominating their representatives to the constituencies’ commissions, he added.
Meanwhile, the SDP has refused to nominate its representatives to the commissions.
In a statement released on February 18, Rahmatillo Zoyirov said that the Social-Democratic Party will refrain from participating in the constitutional referendum.
SDP leader noted that the proposed constitutional amendments would not promote democratization of Tajik society.
We will recall that constitutional amendments approved by lawmakers last month allow Emomali Rahmon, who was designated as the Leader of the Nation, to run an indefinite number of times.
The amendments also lower the required minimum age for presidents from 35 years to 30, enabling Rahmon”s eldest son, Rustam Emomali, to take part in a presidential election scheduled for 2020, when he will be 33.
Founded in 2002, the Social-Democratic Party was registered on December 20, 2002. It was originally registered as the Party of Justice and Development on February 5, 1999. Tajikistan”s Ministry of Justice requested the same year that the Supreme Court ban the party”s activities and its registration was canceled. The party re-emerged and was registered under the name of the Social-Democratic Party in late 2002. Chairman of the Social-Democratic Party is Rahmatillo Zoyirov and the party reportedly has more than 8,000 members.
