DUSHANBE, March 3. /TASS/. The observer mission of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) supervised the elections to the lower house of Tajikistan's parliament held on March 2 and recognized them as transparent and democratic, Deputy Secretary General Piao Yangfan, the mission’s head, said at a press conference.
"The mission acknowledges the past elections as transparent, credible, and democratic," she said, noting that the election process followed the national legislation and international obligations of the republic. Piao also emphasized that the observers did not record any violations that could affect the election results.
As many as 18 observers began their work according to SCO methodology on February 27, the head of the mission specified. "To get a fuller picture of the election process, the mission members monitored the election process at 116 polling stations in cities such as Dushanbe, Norak, Tursunzoda, Hisor, and in the republic's regions," she explained, emphasizing that the voting took place in a calm and peaceful manner.
On March 2, Tajikistan held elections to the Majlisi Namayandagon Majlisi Oli (the lower house of the Tajik parliament), as well as to legislative bodies in the country's regions, cities, districts, and villages. According to the country's Central Commission for Elections and Referendums, voter turnout amounted to 85.3%, and over 4.7 million voters out of more than 5.5 million Tajik citizens eligible to participate in the elections cast their ballots.