The ruling party of Tajikistan's strongman leader is on track to secure victory in the Central Asian country's parliamentary elections. The only opposition party in the race failed to win a single seat.
Image: DW/G. Faskhutdinov
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Tajikistan's ruling People's Democratic Party, led by President Emomali Rakhmon, won 50.4% of the vote in the March 1 poll, according to preliminary results announced Monday.
Five other pro-government parties also crossed the 5% threshold to enter parliament, the ex-Soviet republic's Central Election Commission said.
Meanwhile, the only competing opposition party, the Social Democratic Party of Tajikistan, won just 0.32% of the vote and failed to secure a single seat, the commission said.
Under Tajikistan's political system, 41 of the 63 seats in the lower house are contested in single-seat constituencies, while the remaining 22 are distributed along party lines according to overall vote share.
The CEC said voter turnout was 86.4%.
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Opposition voices largely absent
Rakhmon, 67, has led the country since 1992 and has sought to consolidate his control in recent years. A referendum in 2016 eliminated presidential term limits, essentially allowing him to rule indefinitely.
Sunday's election was the first vote since the collapse of the Soviet Union that did not involve the main opposition group, the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan. The moderate, faith-based party was banned in 2015.
"Respect of fundamental freedoms has further deteriorated since the last elections," the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which observed the electoral process, said. "The choice between political alternatives is limited in the absence of independent media and a functioning opposition."
Plov and DW Akademie unite Kyrgyz and Tajik journalists in the border region
Journalists and citizens living along the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have a lot in common, food culture for instance. While cooking together, they discuss the issues in the border region.
Image: DW/L. Rahnert
Lunch is served!
In the border region between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan there is much to discuss. Journalists and members of civil society met at a long table.
Image: DW/L. Rahnert
Plov unites
The rice dish plov is part of the region's shared food culture – and thus, a good symbol for cultural similarities in the border region.
Image: DW/L. Rahnert
Eating together and discussing common topics
A cross-border network of journalists supported by the DW Akademie has been working together since 2015.
Image: DW/L. Rahnert
DW Akademie supports the network
Lydia Rahnert (left), Country Manager of DW Akademie for Kyrgyzstan, attends the plov get-together. Cooking together is a way for journalists to get in touch with the people in the region.
Image: DW/L. Rahnert
The goal is to achieve conflict-sensitive reporting
The situation on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border has been tense for years. About 500 km of the 970-kilometer border are disputed. This is where clashes between citizens or border guards of both countries erupt time and again. The network of journalists strives to help the rural population obtain balanced information despite this difficult situation.
Image: DW/L. Rahnert
Topics are on the table, not under the carpet!
By cooking and eating with citizens in the region, media makers get a chance to get to know their audience better. What issues are they discussing? What questions do they have?
Image: DW/L. Rahnert
Interest from other neighbors
This time, journalists from both countries and members of civil society met near Batken, Kyrgyzstan. For the first time, there were also two reporters from Andijan, Uzbekistan. The country also shares a border with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
