Presidential election in Tajikistan 2006
The 2006 presidential election in Tajikistan was held on November 6, 2006 . The incumbent Emomalij Rahmon and four other candidates ran for the highest political office in Tajikistan. Rahmon, who had been in office since 1994, was able to prevail again with a clear majority and thus won another term of office until 2013.
Electoral system
The presidential election in Tajikistan is based on the principle of majority voting . To win the election, more than 50% of the votes cast were necessary for a candidate; none of the candidates succeeded in this in the first ballot, a runoff between the two most successful candidates in the first ballot was planned. In addition, a voter turnout of at least 50% was planned for the validity of the presidential election.
Candidates
A total of five candidates ran for the office of President of Tajikistan.
- Emomalij Rahmon ( People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan ), the incumbent, was seen in the run-up to the election as a big favorite for another election victory. This assessment was based on the experiences of the last elections, each of which ended with a clear victory by Rahmon. In addition, large parts of the population credited the incumbent president with the pacification of Tajikistan after the Tajik civil war .
- Abduhalim Ghafforov (Socialist Party of Tajikistan)
- Amir Qoraqulov (Agrarian Party)
- Olimjon Boboyev (Economic Reform Party)
- Ismoil Talbakov (Communist Party of Tajikistan)
The four opposing candidates had hardly appeared politically up to now and were largely unknown to the population. In addition, they did not take a stand against the incumbent president during the election campaign, but presented themselves loyally to Rahmon. Active opposition parties did not nominate their own candidates in the elections, partly under pressure from the state authorities. The Islamic Party of the Rebirth of Tajikistan renounced a candidate due to unclear electoral law and distrust in the responsible electoral authorities. The Social Democratic Party of Tajikistan and the Democratic Party of Tajikistan also boycotted the election. The Social Democrats referred to the unconstitutional candidacy of Rahmon. The reason for this allegation was the fact that after elections in 1994 and 1999, Rahmon ran for his third term in the 2006 election, which was originally excluded by the constitution. In the course of a reform in 2003, however, this paragraph was deleted, so that the president can now run for an unlimited number of terms. This approach was sharply criticized by the opposition .
Election campaign
A real election campaign did not take place in the run-up to the election. Rahmon completely renounced an election campaign and relied solely on his permanent presence in the mostly state-run media in Tajikistan, which conveyed a consistently positive image of the head of state. The remaining candidates refrained from any criticism of the incumbent president and from an individual election campaign. The candidates were only able to present themselves to the voters at events organized by state authorities, but in this way never achieved the necessary level of awareness or even political support to have serious chances in the presidential election.
Result
Election day was peaceful and orderly. As expected by all observers, President Rahmon was clearly confirmed in office in the first ballot. The voter turnout was given as 90%.
| candidate | Political party | Share of votes cast |
|---|---|---|
| Emomalij Rahmon | People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan | 80.24% |
| Olimjon Boboyev | Economic reform party | 6.31% |
| Ismoil Talbakov | Communist Party of Tajikistan | 5.29% |
| Amir Qoraqulov | Agrarian Party | 5.21% |
| Abduhalim Ghafforov | Socialist Party of Tajikistan | 2.83% |
With the renewed victory in the presidential election, Rahmon became President of Tajikistan for another seven years and did not run again until the 2013 presidential election in Tajikistan .
rating
In addition to numerous national observers, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) also sent an observer mission to the presidential election. In the final report of the OSCE observers express this criticism of the lack of opposition in the election and the lack of political debate in the country, which is severely affected by poverty . In addition, calls were made to improve voting rights and the electoral process, as numerous irregularities in the casting and counting of votes were reported during the presidential election. After the election, the election winner and President Rahmon referred to the cultural differences between his country and western democracies , which prevented the adoption of western standards. His country is in a process of democratization .
Individual evidence
- ↑ IFES Election Guide | Country Profile: Tajikistan. Retrieved April 9, 2020 .
- ^ Tajik president wins third term . November 7, 2006 ( bbc.co.uk [accessed April 9, 2020]).
- ^ Q&A: Tajik election . November 3, 2006 ( bbc.co.uk [accessed April 9, 2020]).
- ↑ Youth | Not much enthusiasm for the vote. Retrieved April 9, 2020 .
- ↑ IFES Election Guide | Elections: Tajikistan Pres 6 Nov 2006. Retrieved April 9, 2020 .
- ↑ OSCE (ed.): PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 6 November 2006 OSCE / ODIHR Election Observation Mission Report . Warsaw April 18, 2007, p. 1-4 .
