Interim Report No. 2 of the Election Monitoring Tajikistan
24.02.2010. Category:Tajikistan
INTERIM REPORT No. 2, 29 January – 13 February 2010, ODIHR
22 February 2010
I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
• The process of candidate registration, which was inclusive overall, concluded on 8 February. Seventy-three candidates were registered from eight party lists to compete in the single nationwide constituency and 153 candidates were registered to compete in 41 single-mandate constituencies. Six political parties as well as 70 self-nominated candidates are represented in the single-mandate constituency contests.
• A low-key election campaign commenced at varying dates across the country, depending on when candidates were registered. Campaign activities include meetings with voters, door-to- door campaigning, the distribution of leaflets and display of posters. Meetings with voters generally are organized by the District Election Commissions (DECs) with all respective candidates invited. In some constituencies, political parties or candidates also organize individual campaign events, while in other constituencies the election administration does not permit such independent meetings.
• The OSCE/ODIHR EOM was informed by several political parties about alleged obstruction of their campaigning by the authorities, including allegations of police interference and use of state resources by the ruling party for campaign purposes. The OSCE/ODIHR EOM is following up on these cases.
• The Central Commission for Elections and Referenda (CCER) has held no sessions since 19 January, raising concerns about the transparency and accountability of its work.
• Voter lists were compiled by PECs by 13 February and are presently displayed for public scrutiny. The CCER informed the OSCE/ODIHR EOM that 3,459,164 voters were registered countrywide. The OSCE/ODIHR EOM noted that in the absence of specific CCER instructions on how to compile voter lists, PECs used a variety of methods. The lack of a centralized database means that national crosschecks, elimination of multiple entries and regular updates of deceased voters and voters who have changed their place of residence is effectively not possible.
• Thus far, television - which is the main source of information for citizens - has provided limited election-related information. Free airtime will be granted to candidates. A number of newspapers have provided a more vigorous coverage of the electoral campaign. Several lawsuits have been filed against independent newspapers.
• To date, electoral contestants are not fully and appropriately utilizing the existing complaint process. The CCER is, so far, not considering complaints in plenary sessions and is not issuing official decisions.
The full report can be downloaded here.
22 February 2010
I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
• The process of candidate registration, which was inclusive overall, concluded on 8 February. Seventy-three candidates were registered from eight party lists to compete in the single nationwide constituency and 153 candidates were registered to compete in 41 single-mandate constituencies. Six political parties as well as 70 self-nominated candidates are represented in the single-mandate constituency contests.
• A low-key election campaign commenced at varying dates across the country, depending on when candidates were registered. Campaign activities include meetings with voters, door-to- door campaigning, the distribution of leaflets and display of posters. Meetings with voters generally are organized by the District Election Commissions (DECs) with all respective candidates invited. In some constituencies, political parties or candidates also organize individual campaign events, while in other constituencies the election administration does not permit such independent meetings.
• The OSCE/ODIHR EOM was informed by several political parties about alleged obstruction of their campaigning by the authorities, including allegations of police interference and use of state resources by the ruling party for campaign purposes. The OSCE/ODIHR EOM is following up on these cases.
• The Central Commission for Elections and Referenda (CCER) has held no sessions since 19 January, raising concerns about the transparency and accountability of its work.
• Voter lists were compiled by PECs by 13 February and are presently displayed for public scrutiny. The CCER informed the OSCE/ODIHR EOM that 3,459,164 voters were registered countrywide. The OSCE/ODIHR EOM noted that in the absence of specific CCER instructions on how to compile voter lists, PECs used a variety of methods. The lack of a centralized database means that national crosschecks, elimination of multiple entries and regular updates of deceased voters and voters who have changed their place of residence is effectively not possible.
• Thus far, television - which is the main source of information for citizens - has provided limited election-related information. Free airtime will be granted to candidates. A number of newspapers have provided a more vigorous coverage of the electoral campaign. Several lawsuits have been filed against independent newspapers.
• To date, electoral contestants are not fully and appropriately utilizing the existing complaint process. The CCER is, so far, not considering complaints in plenary sessions and is not issuing official decisions.
The full report can be downloaded here.