DUSHANBE, November 7 (Itar-Tass) - The Tajik presidential election on November 6 was "open and transparent," meeting universal democratic norms, head of the observer mission of the Commonwealth of Independent States /CIS/ Sergei Lebedev told a news conference on Thursday.
"During the monitoring of the voting, we noted certain violations which however could not influence the results," Lebedev underlined. "The observer mission also notes that it was a competitive election involving six candidates for top government post in the country."
At the same time, Lebedev regretted that Tajikistan's Islamic Revival opposition party had not taken part in the vote. Its leader, rights activist Oinikhol Bobonazarova had failed to gather the necessary 210,000 signatures to get registered as presidential hopeful.
In the course of election monitoring, the CIS mission maintained close contacts with their colleagues from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the Shanghai Cooperation Organizations. "We had similar positions on certain issues," Lebedev said.
The UN observer mission said it would release a special statement after Tajikistan's Central Election Commission officially announced the results.
Presidential candidates positively assess the election.
Candidates for Tajikistan’s presidency have positively assessed in the local media the country’s presidential election that was held on Wednesday.
One of the election opponents of the current head of state, leader of the country’s Economic Reform Party Professor Olimjon Boboyev said that “there have been minor drawbacks and flaws” in the election process, but they “cannot really influence the results of the popular vote.”
Presidential candidate, leader of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan Saidjafar Ismonov noted the high voter turnout and a calm atmosphere during the election campaign, as well as the absence of “mass violations of the election law norms.” However, his election headquarters have “recorded isolated cases of voting of one person for his entire family.”
Presidential candidate form the Agrarian Party of Tajikistan, Academician Tolibbek Bukhoriyev, also has no serious critical remarks about “the organisation of the election.” In his view, the election has been “democratic, free and transparent.”
Presidential candidate from the Communist Party of Tajikistan, member of the lower house of parliament Ismoil Talbakov, having expressed satisfaction with the election results, said that “instances of campaigning for one candidate” were observed on the city of Kulob and in the Rudaki district at the entrance to polling stations.
Tajikistani presidential candidate from the Socialist Party Abdukhalim Gafforov promised to express his view about the election after the voting results are announced.