Free & Fair Tajik Election!
Если вы хотите прочитать информацию о партиях на русском языке, то можете перейти на статью Вадима, а голосуйте здесь.
Update
We had a slight technical issue with the poll, and lost all the data. Thanks to Ollie, we are now hosting it on our internal server, so you can vote without fear of this happening again. Please accept my apologies!
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For better or for worse, Imomali Rahmonov will still be president after the November, 2006, presidential elections. Even if they were perfectly fair from here on out, Rakhmonov has already cracked down on the opposition, and the election would likely fall well short of standards.
That doesn’t mean we can’t see who would win if the election were fair with an online poll (you can vote below, or just look at the results). Actually, this online poll shows nothing of the sort; a majority of Tajiks are satisfied with the status quo and the opposition is fractured and divided, so Rakhmonov, much like his neighbor Nursultan Nazarbayev, would almost definitely win even if the election were fair.
Nevertheless, let’s see how the nascent political parties would fare if their constituency were neweurasia’s readership. Read on for a summary of the various parties, then vote.
Everyone likes a winner. The People’s Democratic Party of Tajikistan, while something of a misnomer, is the ruling party, and the party of President Rakhmonov. This party is based around a personality, not issues. Still, its (or rather his) accomplishments are not insignificant.
Tajikistan has seen an extraordinary average GDP growth rate over the past five years (especially given its distinct lack of natural resources in comparison with its neighbors), emerged from a destructive civil war, and pursued in many cases shrewd development policies.
A vote for the PDPT would likely a vote for more of the same - emphasis on growth, secularism, security, and leaving democracy and rights for later.
You can vote for the Communist Party of Tajikistan, but they probably won’t even field a candidate for president. While they do run in parliamentary elections and boast four seats in the 63 member house, their criticism of the ruling party is not harsh, and most do not even really consider them to be part of the opposition.
Needless to say, the heyday of the communists seems to be over. In the 1980s, they boasted nearly 123,000 members, but with the fall of the Soviet Union, that number fell considerably.
A vote for the Communists would be a vote for the way things once were, except without Russia to pay the bills.
The Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan, also known as the Islamic Rebirth or Islamic Revival Party, is the only Islamic party in Central Asia to take part in elections. The IRPT holds two seats in the parliament. Per a treaty ending the civil war, the IRPT is represented in all levels of government. It is rumored to have existed illegally even before the Soviet Union fell, and unlike other Islamic movements, concerns itself only with national issues, not transnational ones.
The IRPT is the quintessential opposition movement in Tajikistan not only because its policies stand in stark contrast with those of the PDPT, but because its adherents fought on the opposite side in the civil war. The war is, however, over, and the IRPT is careful not to aggravate those in power. As Islamic movements gain popularity in Muslim countries worldwide, this is the party to watch.
A vote for the IRPT is a vote for Qur’anic principles in government and realignment away from Russia.
The Democratic Party of Tajikistan is fractured and weak. Its leader was jailed in October, 2005, and it has a splinter faction. Despite their weakness, like the IRPT, they refuse to back a single candidate to oppose Rakhmonov in the upcoming election, and will field their own.
The DPT was founded by intellectuals, and is based on secular, nationalist, pro-Western principles. A vote for them would be a vote for a different model entirely.
The Social-Democratic Party of Tajikistan used to be called the Party of Justice and Development, but had to change its name because the old party got banned in 1999. This party seems to be the perpetual thorn in the ruling party’s side, and its main platform is opposition to abuses of the current system.
A vote for this party would be a vote for reform and the curtailing of current systemic abuses.
The Hizb ut-Tahrir is outlawed and can’t actually participate in general elections. They are considered a terrorist group, and advocating for or supporting them is illegal. You can, however, vote for them here.
Check out Chris DeVito’s post for more information on the HTI.
A vote for the HTI is a vote for the re-establishment of a Caliphate, the implementation of Sharia law.
Now Vote!
There you have a brief rundown on the various political parties at large in Tajikistan. It is by no means exhaustive, and there are many more unregistered parties and factions. However, it is enough to vote!
Please be a good sport and don’t vote more than once!
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Special thanks to Maarten for all of the party symbol pics
on June 12th, 2006 at 8:16 am
James, I agree with you that the results of the elections are already known. It would be better to call these elections not “presidential elections” but “rakhmonov’s elections”, and we all know that the winner of rahmonovs elections will be Rahmonov.
I think, for now it is better for Tajikistan to have one president for a long time who can guarantee political stability than changing him regularly and have instability in the country which can become the reason of another Civil War. No, we don’t need it.
I know, it seems weird to people who are used to live in democratic states that we don’t change our presidents regularly. Thats because we don’t have a political culture which exists in democratic countries, where presidents come and go through fair elections, and its not a big deal that someone loses, but in post-soviet Central Asia its different. Common people are not politically active, and they are still not prepared enough to western type of elections.
Im sure that Rahmonov truly believes that his country is democratic, and no one will be able to prove to him the reverse. I agree that our president is authoritarian and he does want to leave his position but for now we dont have another choice. Thats the fate of our people.:sad:
on June 13th, 2006 at 5:18 am
In my first comment in the last paragraph I wanted to say that rakhmonov does not want to leave his position.:lol:
on August 25th, 2006 at 10:34 am
Tajikistan: Opposition Disorganized As Presidential Election Nears
By Massoumeh Torfeh
Tajikistan’s three major opposition parties are in disarray less than three months before the country’s presidential elections. The Islamic Renaissance Party, the Social-Democratic Party, and the Democratic Party of Tajikistan have postponed naming their presidential candidates until their conventions in September.
DUSHANBE, August 24, 2006 (RFE/RL) — With a presidential election scheduled for November in Tajikistan, the young, forward-thinking leader of the Islamic Renaissance Party (HNIT), Mohiedin Kabiri, is in a desperate state following the death of the charismatic leader of the party, Said Abdullo Nuri.
Nuri — who died on August 9 after “a serious illness” — was the backbone of opposition leadership in Tajikistan. Kabiri now has the daunting task of leading the party in Nuri’s shadow. He also needs to bring energy and a new strategy for his party in the presidential election, and must assert his authority to bring unity to the some 26,000 members of the HNIT.
(…)
An even bigger task is awaiting the Democratic Party of Tajikistan (HDT) in the absence of its influential leader, Mahmudruzi Iskandarov, who is serving a 23-year prison term. The acting leader of the party, Rahmatullo Valliev, says he will announce his candidacy. But there are at least four other contenders and the final choice will be made by party members at their mid-September convention. Valliev, who is in his early 50s, said the party’s entire managing board may be changed.
(…)
Source link: http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/08/ce926b40-a58f-4215-8171-025bd977ebce.html