DUSHANBE, April 2, Asia-Plus -- Candidates from ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDPT) have won by-elections for three vacant seats in the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament), according to the Central Commission for Elections and Referenda (CCER).

By-elections for the vacant seats were held in three constituencies on April 1.

Muhibullo Dodojonov, a spokesman for the CCER, said that chairman of the Hamadoni district, Safarali Gulov, nominated by the PDPT, won landslide victory in the poll in the Hamadoni constituency, receiving 96 percent of votes cast. 

Gulov faced Abdulqodir Hasanpour, the head of the primary organization of the Islamic Revival Party (IRPT) for Hamadoni, in the vote.  “Hasanpour received only 2 percent of votes cast,” the CCER spokesman said, noting that voter turnout was high.

The Hamadoni constituency numbers 69,367.  “According to the reports received, 65,315 people or 94 percent voted,” Dodojonov said.

            As it had been reported earlier, by-elections in the Kulob and Firdavsi (Dushanbe) constituencies were non-alternative as the IRPT candidates had withdrawn their candidacies.

Deputy chairman of Tajikistan’s Supreme Court, Mahmadali Vatanov, nominated by the PDPT, won the seat representing the Firdavsi constituency.  The poll results give him 90.7 percent of the vote, according to Dodojonov.  The voter turnout in the Firdavsi constituency amounted to 84.3 percent.  63,580 voters were eligible to take part in the by-election in this constituency; of them, 48,665 people voted.           

In the Kulob constituency, former interior minister Khumdin Sharipov, nominated by the PDPT, received 96 percent of votes cast.  According to the CCER spokesman, the Kulob constituency numbers 73,557 voters and 69,935 people or 94 percent voted yesterday.    

Thus, the People''s Democratic Party continues having some 73 percent majority in the Majlisi Namoyandagon.  At present it is controlling 46 of 63 seats in Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament.  We will recall that by-elections to fill two other vacant seats in the Majlisi Namoyandagon will be held in the Yovon and Abdurahmon Jomi constituencies on May 20.