Sergei Rachkov: CSTO PA Observers Praised Tajikistan's Election Legislation

In an interview with journalists at polling station 23 in Dushanbe, Sergei Rachkov, Chairman of the Standing Commission on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, said that observers from the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly have carefully studied the election legislation of the Republic of Tajikistan and praised it.

“We have been at the opening of polling stations. The law is fully observed at all polling stations we visited. Polling stations were opened on time, ballot boxes were sealed, everything was perfectly organized, the atmosphere was festive, which is also important,” said Sergei Rachkov.

He emphasized that the CSTO PA observers visited the polling stations at the opening.

“There is a tradition here in Tajikistan to start voting very early. That is, in accordance with the legislation, polling stations were opened at 6:00 am. We registered no violations at the opening of polling stations. The atmosphere was solemn. The national anthem of Tajikistan was played at all polling stations before their opening. It is very impressive that many voters came to the opening, to the very beginning of the work of the polling stations. Everything is quite festive and solemn. People are in a good mood. Precinct commissions have been organized taking into account the number of voters,” said Sergei Rachkov.

The Belarusian parliamentarian noted that the observers did not find any grave violations of electoral legislation.

“There were some recommendations that we made, and the leadership of the election commissions immediately took them into account. I would like to emphasize that in Tajikistan, elections are not only a voting day and a manifestation of political and civil activity, but also a great holiday. People come with their families and children. Each polling station has rooms for voters with children; there are toys there and you can even put your child to bed. All of this is surely wonderful. Another detail that also catches the eye is that there are a lot of voters who vote for the first time. Almost all polling stations give such voters flowers and souvenirs, books and the Constitution of Tajikistan. In general, a lot of attention is paid to young people. There are volunteers who also help to keep the work at the polling stations highly organized. We saw young people who actively contribute to the work of polling stations. In general, the atmosphere is uplifting and positive. We expect a high turnout,” concluded Sergei Rachkov.

Today, on March 2, CSTO PA observers are visiting polling stations in Dushanbe.