A total of 57 observers from the Interparliamentary Assembly (IPA) of the Commonwealth of Independent States (IPA CISCIS) have been accredited to monitor the parliamentary elections in Tajikistan. This was reported by the press service of the IPA CIS Council Secretariat.
The group of international observers from the IPA CIS has been formed in response to an invitation from the Majlisi Oli (Tajikistan’s parliament). The group includes parliamentarians from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Uzbekistan, as well as leadership from the IPA CIS Council Secretariat and experts from the International Institute for Monitoring Democracy Development of the IPA CIS.
The observers will arrive in Tajikistan this week for short-term monitoring. Prior to this, they conducted long-term monitoring of the election preparations. The experts examined the country’s electoral legislation for compliance with international standards and held meetings with campaign participants and election organizers. Analytical documents prepared following these meetings will be submitted to the parliament and the Central Election Commission.
In Dushanbe, the observers will meet with the leadership of the parliament, political parties that have nominated candidates, and members of the Central Election Commission.
On March 2, 2025, international observers from the IPA CIS will monitor the elections in Tajikistan, as well as at overseas polling stations in 10 countries, including Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Belgium, the UAE, South Korea, and France. After the elections, on March 3, they will present the results of their monitoring at a press conference in Dushanbe.
Earlier, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) announced that it would not send a mission to observe the parliamentary elections in Tajikistan due to an accreditation issue with international observers.
A total of 220 candidates are running for 63 seats in Tajikistan’s parliament, with 152 candidates standing in single-member constituencies and 68 others running in a single nationwide constituency, with an electoral threshold of 5%.
The elections to the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower house of parliament) and legislatures of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO), provinces, the city of Dushanbe, and cities and districts will take place on March 2, 2025.
On the same day, elections will be held for members of settlement and village jamoats (the third-level administrative divisions in Tajikistan)
The elections to the Majlisi Milli (Tajikistan’s upper chamber of parliament) will take place on March 28, 2025.
The upcoming elections will determine the new composition of the legislative and representative bodies of power.
The 63 members of the Majlisi Namoyandagon are elected by two methods: 41 members are elected in single-member constituencies using the two-round system, whilst 22 seats are elected by proportional representation in a single nationwide constituency, with an electoral threshold of 5%. Voters cast a single ballot for a candidate in their single-member constituency, with the total votes received across all constituencies used to determine the proportional seats. In each constituency, voter turnout is required to be at least 50% for the election to be declared valid.
Established in 1992, the Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States (IPA CIS) is a parliamentary assembly for delegations from the national parliaments of the CIS member countries.
The overarching mission is law-making and alignment of national laws in the CIS. The IPA CIS is housed in the Tauride Palace in a historical landmark of Saint Petersburg.
The IPA CIS acts as the consultative parliamentary body of the CIS established to discuss problems of parliamentary cooperation.
Another mission of the IPA CIS is election monitoring. Monitoring is organized by the International Institute for the Monitoring of Democratic Development, Parliamentarism and Suffrage Protection of Citizens of IPA CIS Member Nations (IIMDD IPA CIS).
