EurasiaNet.org reported on November 20 that marriage between President Emomali Rahmon’s eldest granddaughter and the grandson of the governor of the northern Sughd province Abdurahmon Qodiri ha folded northern Tajikistan’s elite into presidential family.
Sources in the northern city of Khujand told EurasiaNet.org that the marriage took place on November 19 and the ceremony was held at the Arbob Cultural Palace
On the bride’s side, the parents are one of Rahmon’s daughters, Firouza, and Mahmadzoir Sohibov.
Sohibov, the father of the bride, does not formally hold a government position, but he is said to have financially lucrative tobacco and jewelry interests, according to EurasiaNet.org.
Most of Rahmon’s in-laws are from his native south (Kulob region) and this is the first known occasion in recent times in which the presidential family has married such a visible representative of a northern clan, EurasiaNet.org says.
Residents of the north are apparently delighted by the news as they believe this will culminate in the redistribution of greater government spending in their direction, as well as giving them a greater say in governance. Many people in the reportedly region pride themselves on their nose for commerce, although their limited access to power has crimped their potential.
