Tajikistan’s new elected president to take office Saturday

Tajikistan’s newly-elected president, Emomali Rahmon, will take office on Saturday at an inauguration ceremony to be held in the building of the Kohi Somon presidential palace on the premises of the government compound in the capital Dushanbe. According to the Central Election Commission, the incumbent emerged the winner in the November 6 election to have collected 84.3 percent of the votes. Before the beginning of the main ceremony the speaker of the upper house of parliament Mahmadsaid Ubaidulloyev will open a joint session of parliament. After hearing the state anthem and receiving the presidential coat of arms in front of a large audience of invited guests Rahmon will recite the presidential oath, one hand placed on the Constitution, and the other pressed against his chest. He will swear “to safeguard the Constitution and other laws of the country, guarantee the observance of rights, freedoms, honor and dignity of citizens and protect the territorial integrity, and political and economic independence and serve the people with dedication.” The head of state is expected to make a brief speech to outline the guidelines of his domestic and foreign policy and ways of addressing social and economic issues. Later in the day there will follow a military parade in Dushanbe’s central square, with seven thousand officers and men and military aircraft taking part. Rahmon’s press-secretary has told ITAR-TASS the ceremony will be very modest. No foreign guests, except for the heads of the diplomatic corps have been invited. Rahmon, 61, who has ruled the country since 1992, will stay in office for another seven years, till 2020. The West has refused to recognize the election, just as the three previous ones, starting from 1994, as “fully democratic and contested.” The Opposition, as represented by the Party of the Islamic Revival of Tajikistan and the Social-Democratic Party ignored the political campaign.