No Prizes for Guessing Next Tajik President

With a presidential election due in Tajikistan this November, no one has come out and promised to stand – not even current leader Imomali Rahmon. But whoever does come forward nearer the date, it is pretty certain that Rahmon will get in again.

Head of state since 1994, Rahmon was elected president in 1994, again in 1999, and – after a referendum in 2003 – he won again in 2006 and is eligible to stand this time round, too.

In contrast neighbouring Uzbekistan, opposition parties operate legally in Tajikistan and some are likely to field presidential candidates on their own or jointly. The Islamic Rebirth Party, for example, has set up a campaign team and says it will nominate a candidate, although it has not announced who that will be.

Dilushob Zamoni is an IWPR-trained radio reporter in Tajikistan.

The audio programme went out in Russian and Tajik on national radio stations in Tajikistan, as part of IWPR project work funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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