Tajik opposition parties allege campaign violations

DUSHANBE -- Days before Tajikistan’s parliamentary election President Emomali Rakhmon instructed the Central Election Commission (CEC), Prosecutor General and Supreme Court to ensure transparent and democratic elections.

But some say the instructions are too little too late.

As Tajiks prepare to elect a new parliament February 28, some opposition parties and an international organisation are alleging election law violations by the government and the ruling People’s Democratic Party (NDPT).

On February 22, the Election Observation Mission from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) issued a report that said several political parties complained of police interference during the campaign and the use of government resources by the NDPT.

The OSCE report also said the CEC has not held a plenary meeting since mid-January and has not heard complaints or issued any decisions on complaints filed with it.

The CEC said the OSCE complaints are “baseless” and that it met February 11 and 16. The OSCE report also faults opposition parties for filing few official complaints with the CEC.

Only two political parties – the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (PIVT) and the Social Democratic Party of Tajikistan (SDPT) – have openly alleged campaign violations .

“The closer election day comes, the more obstacles local representatives of government bodies put in our way”, SDPT candidate Shukhrat Kudratov told Central Asia Online.

“Even at the beginning of the campaign, we noticed the People’s Democratic Party’s propaganda posters in the polling stations were larger than the allowed A3 format. We appealed to the CEC with a complaint against the NDPT and Communists, who also had such violations”, said Kudratov.

The Communist posters were only a few centimetres larger, while the NDPT posters were reportedly 1.5 times larger than the allowed size.

“The Communists corrected (the violation), but the NDPT posters still stayed big and were sent out as such to all polling stations”, Kudratov said.

Kudratov said law enforcement representatives have interfered in the election process.

“A large poster with the portrait of our leader, Rakhmatullo Zoyirov, which was hanging over the entrance of our office, was torn to pieces by a police patrol”, he said. “We already lodged a complaint with the Minister of Internal Affairs”.

“PIVT activist and journalist Tavakkal Boboyev suffered an attack at the hands of an employee of the Varzob Region Prosecutor’s Office. … Through the use of force and slander, the representative of the Prosecutor’s Office snatched a copy of the weekly newspaper Ozodagon from Boboyev’s hands”, the party headquarters reported in a statement.

The injured journalist underwent a forensic medical examination, after which he filed an appeal with the Prosecutor’s Office.

According to data from PIVT party headquarters, a second, similar case occurred in Vakhdat, where officers from the State Automobile Inspectorate (GAI) detained a PIVT propaganda vehicle.

“Every day, violations … are increasing. They are doing everything for the party in power to win the upcoming elections.”, said PIVT Press Secretary Shamsiddin Said.

Said said the PIVT has filed more than 50 complaints and appeals with the courts, prosecutors and the CEC. The SDPT says it has lodged more than 15 complaints with the CEC.

“Not a single one of the relevant authorities is taking concrete actions. We are told that the complaints have been taken into consideration, but nothing has changed”, said Kudratov.

However, CEC Chief of Staff Mukhibullo Dodojanov said, “All complaints are dealt with in legislation, and the parties are informed of this.”

Tajik Prosecutor General Sherkhon Salimzoda, at a news conference, said the numbers and circumstances of the PIVT claims of campaign violations have not been confirmed.

“We checked into the case in Vakhdat. The GAI officers had every right to stop their car, since the passage of these sorts of transport was prohibited”, Salimzoda said. He also disputed the PIVT’s contention that it has filed more than 50 complaints.

“There have only been four complaints to the courts and one to the prosecutor’s office. They were looked into and decisions were made on them. Another 18 complaints were received by the CEC”, said Salimzoda. He did not detail what decisions were made on the Islamists’ complaints.

Independent Tajik political analyst Rustam Samiyev said that, with the exception of the PIVT and SDPT, other political parties pose no serious threat to the NDPT’s majority.

“The Economic Reforms Party and the Agrarian Party were established in 2006 on the eve of the presidential elections. Even at that time, their independence came into doubt. Now they make every effort to demonstrate their loyalty to the ruling majority”, he said.

The PIVT should receive two or three seats because ignoring it would be “rather risky”, said Samiyev.

As for the SDPT, Samiyev predicts it has little chance of receiving any seats. With support only from a small part of the intelligentsia, the party lacks a political base, even if it is an active opposition. “Therefore, officials do not stand on ceremony with the SDPT, even bringing it down to the level of personal insults”, said Samiyev.

Zoyirov reportedly will sue the government newspaper Jumkhuriyat for an article accusing him of treason and ties to Uzbekistan.

“Against the backdrop of the Uzbek government’s speeches against the construction of the Rogun hydropower station, accusations of ties with the [Uzbeks] – even farfetched ones – can significantly affect the popularity rating of the SDPT. Unfortunately, this party is identified only with its leader, so any of Zoyirov’s ‘mistakes’ means a loss of points for the entire party”, said Samiyev. “In sum, there is no need to expect much change from the February 28 elections. With or without violations, the NDPT will receive most of the votes”.