On Monday March 30, President Emomali Rahmon signed a decree on convocation of the first session of Tajikistan’s upper chamber (Majlisi Milli) of parliament (Majlisi Oli) on April 17.
The first session of the newly elected Majlisi Milli will take place in the first half of the day.
By another decree of the president a joint session president of both houses of parliament will take place in the second half of April 17.
The President of the Republic of Tajikistan shall convoke the first session of the Majlisi Milli during a month after its election.
The first session of the Majlisi Milli shall be opened by the eldest member; he/she shall conduct the session until the chairperson of the Majlis is elected.
The chairperson of the Majlisi Milli shall be elected by secret ballot by a majority of the total number of members of it. The procedure for electing deputy chairpersons of the Majlisi Milli shall be determined by the Reglament of the Majlis.
Majlisi Oli (the Supreme Assembly) is a bicameral parliament of Tajikistan.
Majlisi Milli (the National Assembly) is the upper chamber of Tajikistan's parliament. It has 33 members: 25 elected for a five-year term by deputies of local councils (majlis) and eight appointed by the president. By right, former presidents are members for life.
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 (GBAO) and its towns and districts, regions 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, regions, Dushanbe City, towns and districts subordinate to the center have an equal number of representatives in the Majlisi Milli.
One-fourths of the members of the Majlisi Milli shall be appointed by the President of the republic of Tajikistan.
Each former President of the Republic of Tajikistan shall be the life member of the Majlisi Milli, if he doesn’t refuse to use this right.
The Majlisi Milli shall function on a convocation basis.
Citizens who reached 3o years of age and have higher education shall be eligible to be elected to the Majlisi Milli.
The numbers of the members of the Majlisi Milli, the procedure for elections of them shall be determined by a constitutional law.
In the event of the death, resignation, and deeming of the President to lack dispositive capacity, his duties shall pass, until a newly elected President takes up office, to the Chairperson of the Majlisi Milli. In that case, the powers of the Chairperson of the Majlisi Milli shall be placed on one of his/her deputies.
In the mentioned instances elections for President shall be conducted within a three-month period.
The Majlisi Milli and the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower house) hold joint meetings in the following events: in the event of taking up by the President of office swear and oath, his resignation, and listening to the submission of the President; speeches of the heads of foreign States; the confirmation of edicts of the President concerning military and extraordinary situations; the giving of consent to the use of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Tajikistan beyond the bounds of Tajikistan for carrying out international obligations of Tajikistan; the confirmation of edicts of the President concerning the appointment and relieving of the Prime Minister and other members of the Government; the consideration of the submission of the President on the principal orientations of internal and foreign policy of the Republic; the fixing of the salary of the President; the designation of elections of the President; and the consideration of the issue of inviolability of the President.
