DUSHANBE, October 12 (Itar-Tass) - The nomination of Emomali Rakhmon for the fourth presidential term is illegal and runs counter the Constitution, opposition leader Rakhmatillo Zoyirov told Itar-Tass.
Commenting on the results of the extraordinary congress, Zoyirov said the Social Democratic Party would boycott the elections slated for November 6 if the incumbent president did not withdraw his candidature and if opposition nominee Oynikhol Bobonazarova was registered as presidential candidate till November 1.
“Social Democrats expect the Constitutional Court and the parliament to interpret corresponding articles of the Fundamental Law not later than till November 1. Otherwise, we’ll urge our supporters to boycott the elections,” the opposition leader said.
Bobonazarova, 65, was nominated from the Islamic Renaissance Party. She failed to collect 210,000 signatures, which would allow her to be registered as presidential candidate.
Zoyirov said, “All signatures were genuine and legitimate despite the authorities’ pressure while as other candidates did nothing in this aspect.”
Fourth out of four million electors are outside of the country and they are excluded of ballot lists, the opposition leader said.
The Social Democratic Party of Tajikistan, which numbers up to 8,000 supporters, is in strong opposition with the authorities and boycotted the 2006 presidential elections by considering them illegitimate.
However, Tajikistan’s Central Election Commission has registered six candidates to run for presidency, CEC head Shermukhammad Shokhiniyon said.
All candidates had the right to engage in a pre-election campaign. He said registration certificates were given to incumbent President Emomali Rakhmon, leader of the ruling People’s Democratic Party; a member of the Agrarian party, Academician Tolibek Bukhoriyev; leader of the Party of Economic Reforms Olimdizhon Boboyev; deputy chairman of the Communist Party Ismoil Talbakov; leader of Democrats Saiddzhafar Ismonov and chairman of the Socialist Party Abdukhalim Gaffarov.
Most experts believe that the presidential elections scheduled for November 6 will be calm and predictable. None doubts that Rakhmon will win the elections.
Emomali Rakhmon is Tajikistan’s president from 1992.
Western observers say the elections in Tajikistan - neither presidential nor parliamentary ones - respond to democratic standards.