According to ehistorylib, in 2005, Tajikistan had a population of just over 7 million people. The economy was largely based on the production and export of agricultural products, minerals, and energy resources. Foreign relations between Tajikistan and other countries were mostly positive due to its strategic location in Central Asia. In 2005, Tajikistan had signed trade agreements with some countries in the region and was a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States. The politics in Tajikistan were dominated by the People’s Democratic Party which was led by President Emomali Rahmonov. This party included members from both parties from the Left and Right of the political spectrum and was based on an authoritarian style of governance. The government focused on economic development, poverty reduction, improving access to education and healthcare services for its citizens as well as promoting stability in Central Asia. There were also plans to hold elections in 2006 which would determine the new leadership of the country. Overall, it seemed that there were uncertain prospects for political stability and economic growth in Tajikistan during this period due to regional conflicts.
Yearbook 2005
Tajikistan. Ahead of the February parliamentary elections, the opposition found it difficult to register candidates, and its election campaign was thwarted by the ruling party, which in turn gained considerable space in the media. According to countryaah, Dushanbe is the capital and one of the major cities within the country of Tajikistan. Several opposition media were forced to shut down during the election movement.
- Also see abbreviationfinder.org for how the acronym TJ stands for the country of Tajikistan and other meanings of this two-letter abbreviation.
In the election, President Imomali Rachmonov’s party, the People’s Democratic Party, got 74% of the vote, while Tajikistan’s Communist Party got 13% and the Opposition Islamic Renewal Party had to settle for 10%. There was widespread doubt that the election had gone right, and international observers reported widespread electoral fraud. manipulation of the vote. Those who voted for the opposition were mainly young voters.
In March, the newly elected parliament gathered. The Islamic renewal party had received only two seats, while the president’s party dominated a total of 52 of the parliament’s 63 seats.
In April 1994, representatives of the government, the Islamic and liberal opposition met in Moscow. Tajikistan was then more dependent than ever before on Russian military and financial support. Rakhmonov proposed a new constitution that was passed by a referendum in November. The outgoing president was re-elected at the presidential election held at the same time as the referendum, but the Islamic opposition accused the government of electoral fraud. Opposition officials in exile also did not recognize the validity of the February 1995 parliamentary elections.
In February 1996, Prime Minister Jamshed Karimov resigned from office and was replaced by Yakhyo Azimov. Two UN ceasefire agreements and an agreement signed in Moscow at the end of the year were still unable to stop fighting in the country. The government was also weakened when two of its main military commanders deserted.
The civil war officially ended on June 27, 1997, when a peace treaty was signed in Moscow between the government and the opposition that had assembled in the so-called Tajikistan Opposition Union (TO). The deal guaranteed the opposition 30% of seats in the government, participation in the judiciary and an amnesty for anyone accused of war crimes.
However, the deal was unable to curb the violence and armed the bandits ravages in the larger cities. An attack in the capital against one of the president’s houses confirmed the fragility of the deal. The Islamic opposition added to the attack an outbreak group from TO. A number of less armed groups that had not participated in the peace process asserted their presence with attacks against both the government and the opposition.
In February 1998, the government declared that it would accelerate the privatization program to attract investment. The 4-year civil war had cost dozens of thousands killed, 600,000 displaced within its own borders, and 300,000 exiled in Afghanistan, Russia and other former Soviet republics. Most of the economy was in ruins and the country was transformed into the poorest former Soviet republic. In 1997, production of the country’s most important product, cotton, reached only 60% of what was planned.
Akbar Turajonzoda who was the second most important in TO returned from his exile in Iran to be named the country’s first Deputy Prime Minister. This was an important impetus for the peace process. One of his first proposals was the legalization of the Islamic Rebirth Party (PIG) so that it could participate in both the country’s political life and the elections. Yet, Parliament passed a law prohibiting the formation of political parties based on religious ideas. Although the president vetoed this law, he declared that the insertion of an Islamic government in the country could not be allowed.
In another attempt to promote peace, in February 1999 Davlat Usmon was appointed Minister of Economy.
The election campaign up to the November 1999 elections progressed, despite strong protests from Usmon – the only opposition candidate. Other candidates were according to the opposition unable to collect the required number of signatures to be able to stand because of government pressure. Due. these irregularities encouraged several groups to boycott the election, but only hours before the election, the boycott was blown off. President Rakhmonov got 96% of the votes cast with a turnout of 98% of the 2.8 million eligible voters.
Two weeks before the February 2000 parliamentary elections, a bombing attack cost the Deputy Minister of Security, Shamsullo Dzhabirov. The election gave the government party 64.5% of the vote followed by the Communist party with 20% of the vote. Islamic group prices gained 7½% and the choice was considered acceptable by all groups. Two weeks after the election, Usmon was removed from the post of finance minister.
