POLITICAL PARTIES OF TAJIKISTAN ON THE EVE OF THE PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS
Abstract
On 15 July 2004, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rakhmonov approved the amendments to the Constitutional Law on t he Elections to the Majlisi Oli (the national parliament) of the Republic of Tajikistan passed by the lower chamber of the parliament on 16 June and by the upper chamber on 8 July. This saw the end of many months of political efforts exerted by the local political parties (the People’s Democratic Party of Tajikistan (PDPT), the Communist Party of Tajikistan (CPT), the Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan (IRPT), the Social-Democratic Party of Tajikistan (SDPT), the Democratic (DPT), and the Socialist (SPT) parties) striving to improve the law on parliamentary elections.
The process that ended on 15 July 2004 started back in February 2003 when a group of deputies from both chambers came up with both important political and social amendments to the constitution.
he amendments in the social sphere were intended to significantly narrow down the range of free social services, primarily in medicine and education. Those who formulated them argued that by 2003, the state was no longer able to shoulder the entire range of social services inherited from Soviet times and envisaged in the constitution. The fundamental law adopted in November 1994 had to be adjusted to meet the current realities—it was an inevitable and objectively necessary measure.
The purely political changes were related to the institution of presidency: they extended the term of office to two consecutive seven-year terms instead of one, as suggested by the 1999 amendments.
This jolted the political parties, which had been hibernating since the previous elections, into frenzied activity even though they did not wake up until 19 March 2003 when the parliament approved the amendments and offered them for discussion at a referendum. Typically, enough, the parties found fault with those who had started the ball rolling, not so much because they disagreed with the content, then they were irritated by certain procedural lapses: the amendments were offered for nationwide discussion not before, but after the parliament had approved them.
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References
See: “Poslanie Prezidenta Respubliki Tajikistan E.Sh. Rakhmonova Majlisi Oli. Dushanbe, 30 aprelia 2004 g.,” Djum-khuriat, No. 48, 1 May, 2004.
See: Ruzi nav, 17 June, 2004.
RIA “Novosti,” 17 July, 2004.
Asia-Plus “Blitz,” No. 161, 25 August, 2004.
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