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High voter turnout observed in Tajik presidential election

DUSHANBE, November 6 (Itar-Tass) - Voting in the presidential election started in Tajikistan on Wednesday. The country is electing the head of state for a 7-year term. All 3,158 polling stations opened at 06:00, local time (05:00 MSK) and will close at 20:00 (19:00 MSK).

The Tajikistani capital’s streets are full of people. Activity is socially high at polling station No 4. Fancy-dressed masqarabozes (barkers) meet the electorate with the sounds of karnays (karnay is a long trumpet with a mouthpiece). The honouring of the girls and young men who for the first time are taking part in the voting was held on Wednesday at the initiative of head of the district election commission Rafika Musayeva. Bouquets of flowers and Tajikistan’s Constitution books were presented to the first five voters in a festive ceremony.

“It’s an unforgettable happy day for me. I would like to vote for the future president of our country who will ensure peace, stability, worthy education of the young people in the republic,” an 18-year old student of the Russian-Tajik (Slavic) University told Itar-Tass.

According to chief of staff of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Tajikistan Abdumanon Dodoyev, “the election is passing in an orderly manner with a high voter turnout in all regions of the country and also abroad where 61 polling stations have been opened.”

The first voting results were to be made public at 10:00 a.m. (09:00 MSK), the CEC head said. He also noted that international observers from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, officials of the Russian Central Election Commission, as well as representatives of diplomatic missions, accredited in Tajikistan.

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