Brussels, 03/03/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 2 March, the European Union highlighted the strong turnout in Tajikistan's parliamentary elections, but also criticised the restrictions that were exercised during the voting. “The strong turnout in the election demonstrates the commitment of the people of Tajikistan to the democratic process”, said the spokesperson for High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, taking note of the preliminary conclusions of the election observers (the turnout rate was reportedly 82%, according to the head of the central electoral commission). Mogherini's spokesperson also hailed the resolve of the authorities of Tajikistan to have a large presence of national and international observers.
Nevertheless, Mogherini's spokesperson stated that according to the preliminary conclusions, the parliamentary elections took place “in a restricted political space and failed to provide a level playing field for candidates”. “Although the government had expressed its ambition to hold democratic elections, and some improvements were made to the electoral law, restrictions on the right to stand, freedoms of expression and assembly, and access to media limited the opportunity to make a free and informed choice”, the spokesperson stated.
The EU has therefore called on the authorities of Tajikistan “to effectively address the restrictions and irregularities mentioned” in the preliminary statement of the observers. “The EU stands ready to assist Tajikistan in its efforts to bring the election process into line with OSCE commitments and other international standards for democratic elections”, Mogherini's spokesperson added.
According to the central electoral commission, the popular democratic party of President Emomali Rahmon won the elections with 65.2% of the vote. (Camille-Cerise Gessant)