The first president of Tajikistan was Qahhor Mahkamov, who held the position of First Secretary of the Communist Party of Tajikistan and was appointed President of the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic in November 1990. Mahkamov served both as First Secretary and President but was forced to resign in August 1991 due to the unpopularity of his support for the August Coup of 1991 in Moscow and the resulting street demonstrations in Dushanbe. From 1991 to 1992 the post of the president changed hands several times due to the political changes and uncertainty following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and ensuing social unrest and violence in the Tajikistani Civil War. Since 1994, Emomali Rahmon has held the position of the presidency. The presidential elections were last held in 2020. Presidential elections in Tajikistan have consistently been criticized by international observers as unfair and favoring the ruling party.
Constitutional role
The president of Tajikistan is the head of the state and the de factohead of government, making him/her the highest ranking chief government official in the country. The president is elected by a national vote and was historically limited to one seven-year term which can only be renewed once, until the abolishment of term limits. The president is also the supreme commander-in-chief of the Tajik National Army.
In addition to the executive office of the president, there is a Security Council that advises the president on matters of national security. As Supreme Commander-in-Chief, he also is entitled to use the Center for the Management of the Armed Forces (opened on National Army Day in 2018), which would serve as the main military command center for the president, similarly to the Russian Armed ForcesNational Defense Management Center.[4]
Executive office
The office of the president consisting of 5 departments and 24 offices is the executive arm of the president, including, inter alia, the following are the most important ones:
Department of the Constitutional Rights of Citizens
Department of Public Affairs, Information and Cultural Affairs
Department of Social Policy
Department of Economic Policy
The president also has five state advisors who aide the president on policy issues:
State Advisor on Economic Issues
State Advisor on International Affairs
State Advisor on Science and Social issues
State Advisor on Public Affairs Information and Culture and State
State Advisor on Defense and Law Enforcement
Presidential standard
The standard of the president of the Republic of Tajikistan is the official symbol of the office of president in the country. It was made a legal state symbol in accordance with an amendment to Law No. 192 on July 28, 2006.[5] It was introduced in time for the inauguration ceremony for Emomali Rahmon in his third term as head of state. The standard is a rectangular panel consisting of three horizontally arranged color bars which are similar to the colors on the Flag of Tajikistan. In it, there is a symbolic Derafsh Kaviani banner the center, with its upper part having spear, symbolizing the will and power of the authorities for the defense of the country. The banner is four-sided and has four branches inside (which represents the four regions of Tajikistan), while the center depicts a winged lion with a crown and seven stars, which are the basis of the emblem of Tajikistan. The Derafsh Kaviani is embroidered with two gold threads on both sides of the standard.
Residence
Since 2008, the Palace of Nations (also called the Kohi Millat or the White House) has been the official residence of the president of Tajikistan. The president often receives foreign dignitaries and public official at the palace, as well as holds public events at its main hall. Its construction was dedicated to Tajik historic king Ismail Samani. It opened in August 2008, hosting an SCO summit in its first day. The palace is portrayed on the back of a 500 Somoni banknote.[6]
Up until 2008, the presidential residence was located in a different location, in building that was built in 1957 (to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution),[7][8] and formerly served as the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Tajikistan.[9] In the Soviet era, it had hosted dignitaries such as Raul Castro, Ho Chi Minh, Nikita Khrushchev, Leonid Brezhnev, and Boris Yeltsin.[10] In 2017, the building became the temporary office of the Mayor of Dushanbe.[11] It became the presidential residence in 1992.[12][13][14] In February 2020, it was announced that the former palace would be demolished.
Selection process
Elections
The president of Tajikistan is elected for a seven-year term (Exception for Founder of peace and national Unity — Leader of the Nation) using the two-round system; if no candidate receives over 50% of all votes cast,[15] a second round is held between 15 and 31 days later between the two candidates who received the most votes. For the result to be validated, voter turnout must exceed 50%; if it falls below the threshold, fresh elections will be held.[15]
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