Rustam Emomali, the current Mayor of Dushanbe and the eldest son of President Emomali Rahmon, turned 30 today. Now he has the right to be elected as member of Tajikistan’s upper house (Majlisi Milli) of parliament or even to be elected as Chairman of the Majlisi Milli. The Chairman of the Majlisi Milli is the second person in the Tajik political hierarchy. Moreover, Rustam Emomali now can be nominated for presidency.
The issue whether Rustam Emomali will be elected as member of the Majlisi Milli and chairman of the Majlisi Milli is on the minds of many people in Tajikistan.
But there is one obstacle today.
Rustam Emomali cannot be elected as member of the Majlisi Milli from Dushanbe, because all five senators representing Dushanbe in the Majlisi Milli were already elected.
Under the country’s Constitution, three-fourths of the total number of members of the Majlisi Milli shall be elected at joint meetings of people’s deputies of the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region and its towns and districts, provinces and their towns and districts, Dushanbe city and its districts, towns and districts subordinate to the center, on the basis of indirect elections by means of secret ballot. The Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region, provinces, Dushanbe City, towns and districts subordinate to the center have an equal number of representatives in the Majlisi Milli.
In order to elect Rustam Emomali as member of the Majlisi Milli, a joint meeting of members of local councils of Dushanbe and its districts should recall one its representatives in the Majlisi Milli.
Meanwhile, one-fourths of the members of the Majlisi Milli shall be appointed by the President of the Republic of Tajikistan.
To-date, the president has appointed only six of eight members of the Majlisi Milli and he has the right to appoint two more members.
But will he use this right with respect to Rustam Emomali?
Rustam Emomali (born December 19, 1987) is the current Mayor of Dushanbe and the eldest son of President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan. He holds the rank of Major-General and is among the ten most influential individuals in Tajikistan. According to some sources, he is fluent in Russian, English, and German. Rustam Emomali is married with three children.
Rustam Emomali's rapid career growth and his appointments to a number of different senior government positions has fueled speculations that he was being prepared to succeed his father as the leader of Tajikistan. Rustam Emomali attends all key international summits in the country and accompanies his father during his tours around the country.
On May 22, 2016, a nationwide referendum approved a number of changes to the country's Constitution. The key proposed amendments included eliminating the term limit for incumbent President Emomali Rahmon and lowering the age of eligibility to become president from 35 to 30.
