Tajiks go to polls in parliamentary elections

People in Tajikistan are going to the polls in parliamentary elections, to pick 63 lawmakers from candidates of seven political parties, who are competing for the lower house of legislature.

Among the seven parties are the ruling People's Democratic Party of President Emomali Rahman and the opposition Social Democrat Party, which has openly criticized the president.

240 candidates will be competing for the country’s lower house of parliament. 176 of them will run for parliament in 41 single-mandate constituencies and 65 others will compete for 22 seats in a single nationwide district.

From the officially registered candidates, 48 are women.

Members of the lower house are directly elected for a five-year term, according to a mixed majoritarian-proportional system.

Of the 63 lawmakers, 41 will be elected from single-mandate districts, with the winning candidate requiring a majority of votes cast.

If no candidate receives a majority, a second round is held within two weeks between the two leading candidates.

From those, who registered to vote, more than 50 percent need to cast their ballots for the election to be valid; otherwise, repeat elections must be held.

More than 4.5 million people are eligible to vote, including migrants residing abroad.

International observers will be monitoring the elections, according to local media.

The last parliamentary vote in Tajikistan, held in 2015, was marred by allegations of fraud. Critics accused the government of clamping down on opposition groups and individuals.

SS