Parliamentary election in Tajikistan 2005

The 2005 parliamentary election in Tajikistan was the second parliamentary election after the end of the Tajik Civil War and was held on February 27, 2005, with a runoff on March 13, 2005. The 63 deputies were elected in the Assembly of Representatives, one of the two chambers of the Supreme Assembly of Tajikistan . The election winner was the People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan led by President Emomalij Rahmon .

Electoral system

The parliamentary election in Tajikistan is based on a combination of majority voting and proportional representation . 41 mandates are awarded after the majority vote in the electoral districts, whereby a candidate must have an absolute majority of the votes. If this does not succeed in the first ballot, a runoff election decides. The remaining 22 mandates are awarded in accordance with proportional representation via election lists of the parties, with an explicit blocking clause of 5% of the votes cast.

background

In the previous parliamentary election in 2000 , the People's Democratic Party had won 36 out of 63 seats in the Assembly of Representatives and thus had an absolute majority in this chamber of parliament before the 2005 parliamentary election. The party leader Rahmon was also able to prevail in a controversial presidential election in 1999 , which was criticized by observers, and thus remained President of Tajikistan for a seven-year term until 2006. From this dominant position in national politics, a clear victory for the ruling party was also expected in the 2005 parliamentary elections.

Parties and candidates

A total of 227 candidates applied for the 63 seats in the Assembly of Representatives. In addition to the People's Democratic Party, the pro-government Communist Party, the Islamic Party of the Rebirth of Tajikistan and the Social Democratic Party were important for the outcome of the election . As opposition parties, the Islamic Party of the Rebirth of Tajikistan and the Social Democratic Party faced significant restrictions in their party work and their election campaigns as the ruling party sought to weaken all opposition parties and groups. As a result, there was great inequality in terms of campaign options. Since large parts of the Tajik population live in great poverty, effective election campaigns via media such as television and newspapers are only possible for parts of the population, but many Tajiks do not have regular access to these media. This fact made for an increased importance of election campaign events on site, which were made more difficult by heavy snowfall in the run-up to the election. In terms of logistical, financial and media possibilities, the People's Democratic Party was way ahead of the other parties, so that it had a clear advantage in the election campaign.

Candidates who received financial support from foreign individuals, companies or organizations were not allowed to vote according to an announcement by the electoral authority on January 14, 2005.

Result

As expected in the run-up to the election, the People's Democratic Party managed to defend its absolute majority. A second ballot was held in three of the 41 constituencies, and in all cases the People's Democratic Party candidates won. The voter turnout was officially given as 92.59%.

Political party	Seats
People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan	52
Communist Party of Tajikistan	4th
Islamic Party of the Rebirth of Tajikistan	2
Independent	5
Social Democratic Party of Tajikistan	0
total	63

Due to the low representation of opposition parties with only two seats for the Islamic Party of the Rebirth of Tajikistan, the dominant position of Rahmon and his People's Democratic Party was further strengthened and the development of Tajikistan into an authoritarian system was promoted.

rating

Numerous election observers attended election day in Tajikistan. The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) sent 207 observers to the parliamentary elections, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe sent an observer mission with 150 election observers. The organizations came to different conclusions in assessing the choice. While the CIS observers rated the elections as "legitimate and free", the OSCE observers called the election neither free nor fair and identified numerous violations of democratic criteria. The observers were unanimous in their assessment of the security situation around election day , which was rated as significantly improved compared to the elections in 2000. The high voter turnout according to official figures has meanwhile been questioned by OSCE observers. Opposition parties in Tajikistan launched a petition in the aftermath of the election as a protest against irregularities in the election.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ IPU PARLINE database: TAJIKISTAN (Majlisi namoyandogon), Electoral system. Accessed March 26, 2020 . 
2. ↑ IPU PARLINE database: TAJIKISTAN (Majlisi namoyandogon) Elections in 2005. Accessed March 26, 2020 . 
3. ↑ IFES Election Guide | Elections: Tajikstan Parliamentary (Round 1) Feb 27 2005. Retrieved March 26, 2020 . 
4. ↑ Parliamentary Elections, February 27 and March 13, 2005 | OSCE. Retrieved March 26, 2020 . 
5. ↑ IPU PARLINE database: TAJIKISTAN (Majlisi namoyandogon) Elections in 2005. Accessed March 26, 2020 .