Tajikistan votes in referendum to empower veteran president

Ex-Soviet Tajikistan went to the polls today in a referendum on constitutional changes almost certain to strengthen the hold of long-time President Emomali Rakhmon and his family over the impoverished Central Asian state.
After an early morning rush to the polls, the country's electoral commission said the vote was valid, claiming that 80 percent of 4.3 million eligible voters had cast their ballots in a referendum on whether Rakhmon can run for an unlimited number of terms, among other changes.
The 63-year-old autocrat has ruled Tajikistan for nearly a quarter of a century, demonstrating what critics say is an increased disregard for religious freedoms, civil society and political pluralism in recent years.

Many residents of the near million-strong Tajik capital appeared enthusiastic in their support for Rakhmon, who led the country out of a five-year civil war that began in 1992, less than a year after independence.
"Rakhmon brought us peace, he ended the war, and he should rule the country for as long as he has the strength to," 53- year-old voter Nazir Saidzoda told AFP.
Other voters were more pessimistic about their leader's capacity to pull the country of eight million out of economic difficulty and curb the rise of extremism in the volatile region.

"Everything that is being done is for (the regime) to hold onto power for as long as possible," 37-year-old Marifat Rakhimi said.

"We are waiting for a better economy and the disappearance of corruption."
The term limit amendment applies only to Rakhmon, owing to the "Leader of the Nation" status parliament voted to grant him last year, which also affords him and his family permanent immunity from criminal prosecution.
Other amendments include lowering the minimum age required to be elected president from 35 to 30 and a ban on the formation of parties based on religion.
The age limit change could position Rakhmon's 28-year-old son, Rustam, for an early succession, while restrictions on political parties come amid the ongoing trial of key members of a banned Islamic party.

The Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) had been widely viewed as moderate before the government branded it a terrorist group last year, stripping away the most significant formal opposition to the Rakhmon regime.