In Tajikistan, the lower house of parliament was elected in half a day

Elections to the Majlisi Namoyandagon, the lower house of parliament, were held in Tajikistan on March 2. President Emomali Rahmon voted at polling station number 15, casting his vote “for a worthy candidate and a political party for the sake of further progress and prosperity of independent Tajikistan.” This was reported by the press service of the head of state. Six of the seven registered parties participated in the elections. As expected, the ruling People’s Democratic Party of Tajikistan (PDPT) is likely to take the overwhelming majority of seats.

The elections to the lower house of the Parliament of Tajikistan were recognized as having taken place, 59% of voters voted at 12 o’clock local time. This was announced live on television by the head of the Central Election Commission of the country, Bakhtiyor Khudoerzoda. According to him, voters are actively voting at all 3,513 polling stations open in the country. A total of 5.52 million registered voters.

The bicameral Parliament of Tajikistan consists of 96 deputies: 63 deputies of the lower house, of which 22 are elected from party lists, and 41 from single–mandate constituencies. Six parties have put forward their candidacies, with the exception of the opposition Social Democratic Party of Tajikistan (SDPT).

Since 1998, the Social Democrats have never won seats in Parliament, even if they have participated in elections. After the death of its founder and permanent leader, Rahmatillo Zoirov, in May 2024 and the arrest in June of the same year of his deputy Shokirjon Khakimov, who was accused of attempting a coup and sentenced to 18 years in prison, the activities of the SDPT are likely to be suspended. It should be recalled that other defendants in this high-profile case also received long prison terms on the eve of the elections. However, they all pleaded not guilty and appealed the verdict. Among those convicted are former Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi, former member of Parliament and chairman of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan Saidjafar Usmonzoda, his deputy, journalist Akhmadshoh Komilzoda and former Chairman of the Supreme Council of Tajikistan Akbarsho Iskandarov, as well as two security officials and journalist Rukhshona Khakimova, sentenced to terms from 8 to 27 years in prison.

According to observers, the upcoming elections will not bring unexpected results. The PDPT, led by President Emomali Rahmon since 1994 and which has nominated the vast majority of candidates, will maintain its absolute dominance in parliament.

In conditions of strict state control over society, the outcome of elections is predictable, and the role of parliament remains formal. Russia supports the government and guarantees its security. On the eve of the elections, Presidents Vladimir Putin and Emomali Rahmon discussed cooperation in the fields of security, economy and culture during a telephone conversation, the Kremlin’s press service reported on its Telegram channel. The two leaders noted the high level of strategic partnership and alliance, discussing the details of cooperation in trade, economic, cultural, humanitarian and defense spheres, as well as agreeing on future meetings. “Vladimir Putin and Emomali Rahmon have agreed on a schedule of personal contacts,” the Kremlin added.

After a high-level telephone conversation, the Government of Tajikistan approved a draft agreement with Russia on the establishment of an industrial park in the country. The decision was made at a government meeting led by President Emomali Rahmon on February 28.

The agreement on the establishment of an industrial park will certainly meet with a positive response in Tajik society. In the context of stricter migration legislation in Russia, the creation of new jobs in Tajikistan is becoming particularly important for the growing population of the country. This will reduce dependence on labor migration and stimulate economic growth within the republic, creating more favorable living conditions for Tajik citizens. The opportunity to work at home will become a weighty argument for many who were previously forced to seek work abroad, contributing to strengthening the national economy and social stability.

Another topic discussed in Tajikistan was the results of the delimitation and demarcation of the border with Kyrgyzstan, which ended with the signing of the agreement on February 21, 2025 by the heads of government delegations. The Kyrgyz side emphasizes that reaching a compromise was a priority, as a unilateral solution to the border issue would not bring long-term stability. Negotiations, especially on the Tajik enclave of Vorukh (which initially used about 19,000 hectares), proved difficult. As a result, Tajikistan will receive 14.5 thousand hectares of the enclave and adjacent pastures (1,000 hectares), and Kyrgyzstan will receive 1,000 hectares of pastures in the Karagan-Sai region in return. A 20-meter bridge in the Tort-Kocho area, built by Kyrgyzstan on a site allocated by Tajikistan, also became controversial. After lengthy discussions, Kyrgyzstan retained the bridge, which is of strategic importance for transport links. As for the Cake Kocho section itself (253.74 m), it is planned to establish a neutral status with security lanes of 15 m on each side and a 40-meter neutral zone for shared use.

As part of the agreement, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan exchanged territories, including the Dacha-Kapchygai and Min-Oruk-Samarqandek roads (with a neutral status), as well as sections near Khujand and Dostuk market. Kyrgyzstan received 25 hectares of land, and Tajikistan – 12 hectares, including roads and a market. There was also an exchange of border posts and the village of Dostuk (91 hectares), which was transferred to Tajikistan in exchange for an equivalent territory and an additional 30 hectares of irrigated land for the resettlement of Dostuk residents. Kyrgyzstan still has the Kara-Bak-Lakkon highway.

The new Tajik parliament will need to understand the essence of the issue within a month and ratify this agreement, after which the presidents will put their signatures during the trilateral summit. The meeting is scheduled for March 31 in Hodgenta. The third will be the head of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

Therefore, it is important for the Tajik authorities to hold parliamentary elections without shocks. They will receive a positive assessment from the CIS observer mission, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Collective Security Treaty Organization. For the first time, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) mission refused to monitor the parliamentary elections in Tajikistan. “Unfortunately, the lack of guarantees from the Tajik authorities regarding the accreditation of international observers has led to the need to cancel monitoring of the upcoming parliamentary elections in the country,” the OSCE/ODIHR Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights said in a statement. The preliminary results of the parliamentary vote will be announced within 24 hours, and the final results will be announced no later than two weeks.