2. Geography of Tajikistan
Central Asia, west of China, south of
Kyrgyzstan
Area:
◦ Total: 143,100 sq km
◦ Country comparison to the world: 96
◦ Land: 141,510 sq km
◦ Water: 2,590 sq km
Area – comparative: Slightly smaller
than Wisconsin
Land boundaries:
◦ Total: 3,651 sq km
◦ Border countries: Afghanistan 1,206 km, China
414 km, Kyrgyzstan 870 km, Uzbekistan 1,161 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
4. Religion in Tajikistan
The biggest religion in Central
Asia, Islam, was brought to the region by the
Arabs in the 7th century; since then, Islam has
become a central part of Tajikistan’s culture.
The official religion in Tajikistan since 2009
is the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam, making
Tajikistan the only ex-Soviet state with an
official religion.
Despite largely ineffective attempts to
secularize society, the post-Soviet period has
been marked by an increase in religious
practice.
The majority of Tajiks belong to the Sunni
branch of Islam; a smaller group adheres to
the Shia branch of Islam.
Russian Orthodoxy is the most commonly
followed minority religion, despite a large
shrink of the Russian minority in the early
1990s.
Some other small Christian minorities also
enjoy some freedom of worship.
Tajikistan also has a small Jewish population.
6. Tajikistan’s political system:
Background
Tajikistan’s politics function in a structure of a presidential republic;
the President is the head of state and head of government, and of a
multi-party structure.
Legislative power is vested in both the exeuctive branch and the two
parliament chambers.
7. Tajikistan’s political system:
Government
Capital (and largest city): Dushanbe
Official languages: Tajik
◦ Recognized regional languages: Russian
Demonym: Tajik
Government: Dominant-party unitary
semi-presidential state
President: Emomalii Rahmon
Prime Minister: Oqil Oqilov
Legislature: Supreme Assembly
Upper house: National Assembly
Lower house: Assembly of
Representatives
8. Tajikistan’s political system:
Executive branch
Main office holders
Powers of the President and the
Prime Minister
Office: President
◦ Name: Emomalii Rahmon
◦ Party: HDKT
◦ Since: 6 November 1994
Office: Prime Minister
◦ Name: Oqil Oqilov
◦ Party: HDKT
◦ Since: 20 December 1999
Directly elected, the president serves as both the head of state and the
head of government.
The president nominates the PM and all government members, with
parliamentary approval; Tajikistan is hence a presidential republic.
Tajikistan held a constitutional referendum on 22 June 2003 and the 2003
Constitution, among other amendments, set the term limits of the
presidency to two seven-year terms.
Emomalii Rahmon’s election to the office of president in 2006 counts as his
first seven-year term under the 2003 Constitution; theoretically, he may be
re-elected for a second term in 2013, that second term ending in 2020.
In this geographically divided nation, the ritual post of PM is usually held by
an individual from the north to nominally balance President Emomalii
Rahmon’s southern roots.
In 2004, the executive branch fell under the ruling power’s control, with
nominations by Rahmon leaving the opposition having only five percent of
key government posts; this event followed the termination of the 1997
peace guarantee that the United Tajik Opposition (UTO) would control a
minimum of 30 percent of top government posts.
Before the 2006 election, the Council of Ministers, which conducts the
president’s decisions, comprised two Deputy PMs, 19 ministers, nine
commission heads, and several ex-officio members; subsequent to that
election, Rahmon eliminated 10 ministries and five state commissions and
re-nominated Oqil Oqilov as PM.
Rahmon is also said to have collected considerable informal power by
means of patronage.
9. Tajikistan’s political system:
Legislative branch
The bicameral Supreme Assembly (Majlisi Oli) comprises the
63-seat Assembly of Representatives (Majlisi
namoyandagon), which convenes year-round (from
November through the end of June); the 33-seat National
Assembly (Majlisi milli) meets at least twice every year.
The September 1999 Constitution brought forth the bicameral
legislature; before that, Tajikistan had a unicameral
legislature.
The members of the Assembly of Representatives are
selected through direct popular election for a five-year term;
of that assembly’s 63 members, 22 are elected by party, in
proportion to the number of votes gained by every party
winning a minimum of five percent of total votes, and the
remaining members are elected from single-member
constituencies.
In the National Assembly, three-fourths of the members are
selected by the representatives of the local representative
assemblies (majlisi) in the nation’s four major administrative
divisions and in the cities secondary directly to central
government; all of those subnational jurisdictions is permitted
equal representation.
The president directly nominates the remaining members.
Following the 2005 elections, the pro-government People’s
Democratic Party maintained control of both houses of
parliament, taking 52/63 seats in the Assembly of
Representatives.
In 2006, 11 women sat in the Assembly of Representatives;
five sat in the National Assembly.
Opposition groups in the Supreme Assembly have broken
with pro-government members concerning some matters.
10. Tajikistan’s political system:
Judicial branch
The constitution provides for an independent judiciary.
The highest court is the Supreme Court; other high courts consist of the Supreme Economic
Court and the Constitutional Court, which determines questions of constitutionality.
With the legislature’s consent, the president nominates the judges of these three courts.
In addition, there is a Military Court.
The judges of all courts are nominated to ten-year terms.
Whereas the judiciary is technically independent, the executive branch and criminal
organizations have a significant effect on judicial tasks.
Corruption of judges, who are badly paid and badly instructed, is usual.
The court structure has local, district, regional, and national levels; each higher court serves as
an appellate court for the level beneath.
Appeals of court decisions are uncommon because the public usually does not trust the judicial
structure.
Constitutional guarantees to the right to a lawyer and to a prompt and public trial are regularly
disregarded.
The Soviet period assumption of the defendant’s responsibility is still in effect.
Criminal investigations are carried out by the procurator’s office.
Excluding instances of national security, trials are heard by juries.
11. Tajikistan’s political system:
Administrative divisions
Tajikistan is made up of four administrative
divisions: the provinces (viloyat) of Sughd and
Khatlon, the self-governing province (viloyati
mukhtor) of Gorno-Badakhshan (Tajik: Viloyati
Mukhtori Kuhistoni Badakhshon), and the Region
of Republican subordination (Raiony
Respublikanskogo Podchineniya from the
Russian, or in Tajik: Ноҳияҳои тобеи ҷумҳурӣ;
previously known as Karotegin Province).
The capital of Sughd is Khujand (previously
Leninabad); the capital of Khatlon is
Qurghonteppa (previously Kurgan-Tyube); the
capital of Gorno-Badakhshan is Khorugh
(previously Khorog).
The national capital, Dushanbe, is additionally the
administrative center of the Region of Republican
Subordination.
Each region is split into a number of districts
(Tajik: ноҳия, nohiya or raion), which in turn are
subdivided into jamoats (village-level autonomous
entities).
From 2008, there were 58 districts and 367
jamoats in Tajikistan; additionally, subregional
entities comprised 17 towns and 54 urban-type
settlements (Tajik: шаҳрак).
12. Tajikistan’s political system:
Provincial and local government
Local government is split into representative and executive branches.
The assembly (majlis) of people’s deputies (elected locally to a five-year
term) is the representative branch in provinces, towns, and districts.
The executive power in provinces, towns, and districts is vested in the leader
of local administration, directly nominated by the President, by the local
majlis’ consent.
13. Tajikistan’s political system:
Electoral system
Suffrage is universal for citizens aged 18 and older.
A new election law that was passed in 2004 has been met with global criticism for its limiting
nominee registration requirements.
Election calls for an absolute majority of votes; if no nominee achieves a majority, a second
round is held between the top two vote obtainers.
By controlling the Central Election Commission, the Rahmon has obtained influence over
registering parties, the holding of referenda, and election processes.
In 1999 and 2003, referenda of doubtful fairness made constitutional modifications that
increased Rahmon’s hold on authority.
Global spectators also uncovered large indiscretions in the manner of the 1999 presidential
election; in that election, only one opposition nomine was allowed registration, and the media
was censored.
While six parties took part in the subsequent 2000 and 2005 parliamentary
elections, spectators in both instances reported state intervention with the procedure and with
opposition nominees’ media access.
Rahmon effortlessly won re-election in November 2006, with 79 percent of the vote against
four little-known challengers; once again, global monitors concluded that the election was not
fair.
Three big opposition parties (the Democratic Party, the Islamic Rebirth Party, and the Social
Democratic Party) refused to participate in that election.
14. Tajikistan’s political system:
Major parties
People’s Democratic Party of
Tajikistan (55)
Islamic Renaissance Party of
Tajikistan (2)
Communist Party of Tajikistan (2)
Agrarian Party (2)
Party of Economic Reforms of
Tajikistan (2)
15. Emomalii Rahmon
Born 5 October 1952 in Kulob.
Has served as Tajikistan’s head of state
since 1992, and as the 3rd and current
President since 1994.
Also the 1st and current Chairman of the
People’s Democratic Party of Tajikistan
since 10 December 1994.
Served as Chairman of the Supreme
Assembly of the Republic of Tajikistan
from 20 November 1992-16 November
1994.
Faced a civil war in the early years of his
presidency; up to 100,000 people
perished.
Began his third term in office in 2006.
His presidency has been dealt with in
unsympathetic terms, primarily due to
violations of human rights, and bribery.
16. Oqil Oqilov
Born 2 February 1944 in Khujand.
7th and current PM of Tajikistan since
20 December 1999.
Member of the People’s Democratic
Party of Tajikistan.
17. People’s Democratic Party of
Tajikistan
Statist, secular political party in Tajikistan.
Currently the governing party; led by the
current President of Tajikistan, Emomalii
Rahmon.
Won 74% of the popular vote and 52/63
seats during the 27 February and 13
March 2005 legislative elections (widely
believed to have been manipulated in
Rahmon’s favour by observers).
This was an increase from the 2000
elections, during which they acquired
64.9% of the vote and 38 seats.
Obtained 71.69% of the popular vote and
45/63 seats during the last legislative
elections.
Its headquarters are located in the Palace
of Unity in Dushanbe.
18. Communist Party of Tajikistan
Far-left political party in Tajikistan.
Won 13.97% of the popular vote and
4/63 seats in the 2005 parliamentary
election.
Affiliated with the Communist Party of
the Soviet Union of Oleg Shenin.
