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Rahmon Tajikistan president again

333410_Emomali-Rakhmon

Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon has won the presidential election to secure a fourth term in office.

According to official results released by the Tajik election commission on Thursday, the president swept 83.6 percent of the vote in the Wednesday election.

With the former Soviet republic’s presidential mandate now seven years, Rahmon could lead the country until 2020.

Some four million people in the central Asian country were eligible to vote.

The 61-year-old president won nearly 80 percent of the ballot in the election of 2006.

Rahmon has been in power since 1992, when he was appointed by the Tajik Supreme Soviet (legislature). He enjoyed easy victories in 1994, 1999 and 2006.

Five other presidential candidates also participated in the election. However, opposition candidate and female human rights activist Oynihol Bobonazarova was banned from the vote.

Bobonazarova, who represents the moderate opposition Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan, could not gather the 210,000 signatures required to register.

Tajikistan’s other main opposition party, the Social Democratic Party, said last week it had decided to boycott the polls because of “violations of the constitution, organized falsifications and a lack of democracy and transparency.”

Rahmon warned candidates before the election not to disrupt the country’s stability, asking them to behave “with full patriotic responsibility.”

Tajikistan is grappling with an energy crisis, unemployment and rising poverty. Several thousands of people leave Tajikistan for Russia and other countries each year in search of employment.

Moreover, electricity shortage prevents foreign investors from doing business in Tajikistan. Power supplies in all towns and villages, except the capital city of Dushanbe, last only a few hours a day.

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