DUSHANBE, May 17, 2011, Asia-Plus - A video recently shot by Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service in Dushanbe sheds a light on some curious voting practices.
Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service reported on May 16 that the clip, filmed during a by-election in the Tajik capital on May 15, attests to election monitors'' routine complaints about the tradition of multiple voting in Tajikistan and elsewhere in Central Asia.
A woman, captured stuffing a ballot box, looks genuinely surprised when someone asks her how many votes she is casting.
“Six, of course,” she says. “We''ve got six [eligible voters] in our family.”
The voice of an off-camera election worker can be heard explaining, "She asked for ballots for her entire family," apparently unaware that it is technically illegal in Tajikistan for one person to vote for others, family or otherwise.
The by-election in Dushanbe''s Sino district was held to fill a vacant parliamentary seat, which Amirqul Azimov, a candidate from the ruling People''s Democratic Party, won. His opponent, independent candidate Tolibshoh Saidzoda, refused to accept the official results, citing fraud during the voting process.
Election officials insist some 80 percent of the eligible voters took part in the by-election. Saidzoda, however, claims the turnout was much lower, around 20 percent.
Local officials appear to have done everything in their power to ensure a good turnout, though. According to some observers, they cut off electricity and water in many Sino neighborhoods on election day, just to give people an extra incentive to leave the house.
Tajikistan sends humanitarian aid to the flood-affected Kazakhstan
Tajikistan presents its tourism opportunities at High-Level Tourism Policy Forum in Korea
Tajik, Kyrgyz border services make joint statement
Russia to be with Taliban along the way? Russia preparing to recognize the Taliban regime in Afghanistan
Iranian media reports say three drones downed after explosions heard in Isfahan
Many regions in Russia impose more and more restrictions on the types of jobs migrants can hold
USAID launches a new US$18 million initiative to boost economic growth in Tajikistan
Tajikistan, Uzbekistan sign the Allied Relations Treaty
Tajik, Uzbek leaders discuss issues of expanding bilateral cooperation between their countries
Tajik-Uzbek Investment Company plans to finance implementation of 14 projects with a total worth of US$135 million
All news
Авторизуйтесь, пожалуйста