Ispechak-2 mahalla chairperson withdrawn from electoral commission

DUSHANBE, May 10, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- Ms. Mavjouda Qosimova, chairperson of the Ispechak-2 mahalla (community), has been withdrawn from the membership of electoral commission in Dushanbe’s constituency # 4 for violation of the country’s election legislation.

The electoral commission head Abdullo Habibov told Asia-Plus today that during a meeting of voters from the Ispechak-2 mahalla with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for parliamentary by-election Amirqul Azimov, Qosimova called on those present to vote for the PDP candidate.

“Under the country’s election legislation, members of electoral commissions do not have the right to call on voters to vote for one or another candidate, and therefore, Qosimova was withdrawn from the electoral commission membership,” Habibov said, noting that Qosimova is member of no party.

We will recall that the May 15 by-election for Dushanbe's Sino district is to fill a seat in the lower chamber (Majlisi Namoyandagon) of parliament that fell vacant in March when incumbent Shermahmad Shohiyon was appointed to head CCER.

Four candidates are competing to fill the Majlisi Namoyandagon seat vacated by Shohiyon -- Amirqul Azimov nominated by the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDPT), Muzaffar Mirzoyev nominated by the Agrarian Party (APT) and two self-propelled candidates, including Tolibshoh Saidzoda, editor-in-chief of the Dushanbe weekly Millat (Nation), and Safarbek Mannonov, deputy director of the National Medical Center.

The Islamic Revival Party (IRP) has withdrawn its candidate for the by-election because its representatives have not been included in lower-level commissions at polling stations.

Dushanbe’s constituency # 4 reportedly numbers some 70,000 voters and 48 polling stations are expected to be set up in the constituency.

The Majlisi Namoyandagon -- the lower chamber of parliament -- consists of 63 deputies elected for a five-year term.  Twenty-two seats are divided among parties that gain more than 5 percent of the vote, and the remaining 41 deputies are elected from single-mandate constituencies.