Tajik parliamentarians will now swear allegiance to the people of the country.
Deputies of Tajikistan’s lower house (Majlisi Namoyandagon) of parliament will be the first to swear allegiance to the people of the country.
They will swear allegiance to the people at the first sitting of the third session of the Majlisi Namoyandagon that will take here on October 3.
The amendments were proposed by the government and adopted at a constitutional referendum on May 22.
Under the proposed amendments, members of the government will swear allegiance to the president, while deputies of the Majlisi Namoyandagon and members of the Majlisi Milli (Tajikistan’s upper house of parliament) will swear allegiance to the people of Tajikistan.
The amendments also provide for lowering the minimum age requirement for candidates for parliament, and positions in the constitutional court from 35 to 30.
Recall that the constitutional referendum included 40 proposed amendments and voters could either vote "yes" or "no" to the package of amendments. It was not possible to vote on individual amendments.
The most important proposed amendments included eliminating the term limit for incumbent President Emomali Rahmon, lowering the age of eligibility to become president, and banning the creation of political parties based on religion.
The term-limit amendment applies only to Emomali Rahmon, who owns the status of the “Leader of the Nation.”
The amendment lowering the presidential age limit from 35 to 30 would allow Rahmon’s 29-year-old son, Rustam Emomali, to stand at the next presidential elections, scheduled for 2020.
The minimum age requirement for candidates for parliament, and positions in the constitutional court, has also been lowered to 30 from 35.
