Presidential Campaign Remains Low Key Three Days Ahead of the Election Day
Election campaign remains very low key three days ahead of November 6, when Tajikistan’s 3.2 million voters will go to the polls to elect their president for the next seven years.
Incumbent President Emomali Rakhmonov is the most visible candidate with his campaign activities, proxies and materials throughout the country. Huge Soviet-style banners and billboards with his images have recently appeared throughout the central part of the capital, Dushanbe. They show Rakhmonov among older people, orphans and farmers. These images ore often accompanied by invitation to the population to actively participate in the vote.
The only other candidate with some visibility is Ismoil Talbakov of the Communist Party (CPT). He talks to journalists, meets voters and writes articles in both state-owned and independent newspapers. However, Communist Party’s candidate does not criticize the incumbent president and his main opponent. The main focus of his campaign is on social issues and return to socialism.
Campaigns of the other candidates – Olimjon Boboev of the Party of Economic Reforms, Amir Karakulov of the Agrarian Party and Abduhalim Gaffarov of the pro-government Socialist Party – are practically invisible in most areas and are limited to regional centres and Dushanbe. These candidates have created no visibility products except for unprofessional posters with their complete biographies, long platforms and grave-stone-like photos.
While 3,600 Somoni (approximately 1,000 USD) received by each candidate from state funds is obviously not enough to organize an effective election campaign, the candidates have not even attempted to raise funds from non-state sources. This indicates that the candidates are not really serious about the quality of their campaigns or about the campaign itself.
Observers suggest that there are no signs of competition between presidential candidates in the country. Four candidates, along with a proxy of Emomali Rakhmonov, tour the country together and attend joint public meetings arranged by the election administration.
While talking to voters, candidates refrain from criticizing their main opponent or his policies and actions. They focus their campaigns on solutions to problems in narrow fields of interest, such as agriculture, education and transport. They also praise Emomali Rakhmonov for his achievements and avoid giving interviews to foreign journalists.
Due to the low key election campaign there is little reporting of the campaign in the mass media. The state-owned television channels TV Safina and TVT broadcast free airtime programs featuring candidates and their platforms. Each candidate is entitled to 30 minutes of free airtime on state-owned television, while their proxies are entitled to up to 10 minutes each.
Most of the state-owned newspapers provide the majority of their coverage to the incumbent president and his People’s Democratic Party. However, a few private newspapers appear to be more balanced in their coverage of the campaign and the candidates. Media analysts suggest that the tone of the campaign coverage in Tajikistan’s mass media is mostly neutral and there is no negative or critical coverage.
The voting process on the election day, as well as counting and tabulation, will be observed by representatives of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR), observation mission of Commonwealth of Independent States, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, IFES, International NGO “For Fair Elections”, International Group for Crisis Prevention and representatives of foreign embassies.
on November 3rd, 2006 at 12:25 pm
You mentioned 5 candidates. But there was also a candidate from the Democratic Party, wasn’t there? What about his campaign?
And there are so many observers, as usual! They come and write their reports and then everyone forgets about their reports. Why do we need them anyway?
on November 6th, 2006 at 9:17 am
GuRa,
There was a candidate from the Democratic Party, more precisely from its pro-presidential wing. However, following an uproar on the part of international watchdogs and domestic NGOs, the government decided to keep the candidate down. As a result, the candidate reportedly “failed” to collect 160 thousand signatures required for being registered as a candidate by the Central Election Commission.
Well, I think we actually need international observers. Some of them, OSCE/ODIHR for instance, provide an unbiased assessment of our elections and report on whether they are conducted in line with both the internal legislation and our international commitments. They also provide their recommendations on further improvement of the election process.
on November 7th, 2006 at 7:25 am
GuRa,
Read my most recent post on the election results . I think it does tell a lot on why we need international observers.
on November 7th, 2006 at 10:30 am
Alexander,
Yes, I understand WHY different countries need international observers. What I don’t understand is WHAT are their reports for? I mean they have not influenced our elections, haven’t they?
on November 7th, 2006 at 12:39 pm
GuRa,
As I said, we need reports with their findings to have a documented and registered evidence of all violations taking place during the election process. Of course international observers do not have a direct impact on our election process and the way it is shaped. However, their findings and recommendations have a great impact on policy- and decision makers in the countries, which can then directly influence Tajik political elites. For example, I think that the record of manipulated elections adds to yet another level of frustration with the regime on the part of international creditors and foreign donors. Don’t you think that in this case the negative assessment of the election has no impact on the donors’ willingness to give the country money?
on November 8th, 2006 at 8:53 am
So what do the observers have to say this time?
on November 8th, 2006 at 10:25 am
GuRa,
OSCE/ODIHR’s observers will present their final report later this or next month. As for the CIS observers, they said the elections were free and fair.
on November 8th, 2006 at 12:47 pm
Tajik democracy not fully tested in uncompetitive presidential election
DUSHANBE, 7 November 2006 - Democratic practices were not fully tested in the 6 November presidential election in Tajikistan due to the absence of genuine competition, thus providing voters with only nominal choice, concluded the OSCE Election Observation Mission in a statement issued today… more
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