DUSHANBE, January 6, 2012, Asia-Plus  -- Some changes have been made to powers of prime minister and first deputy prime minister in connection with appointment of Matloubkhon Davlatov as First Deputy Prime Minister of Tajikistan.

According to the presidential press service, prime minister’s powers include general management of ministries, state committees and other public management structures to ensure adequate activity of the government.

Prime minister supervises industry, fuel-and-energy complex, housing and communal services, transport and communication, geology, oil and gas, mining, main construction and architecture, construction of roads and hydropower facilities.

Prime minister is also in charge of land reclamation issues and state supervision for industrial and mining safety.

Prime minister heads the National Anti-drug Council and represents Tajikistan in international relations and is authorized to sign government-to-government agreements and treaties.

First deputy prime minister supervises the economic sphere and coordinates activities of ministries, state committees and other government bodies in various economic spheres, in particular in budgetary and tax policy, attraction of investments, state-owned property management and international economic cooperation.

In case of absence of prime minister, first deputy prime minister may fulfill his functions.

We will recall that President Emomali Rahmon has reshuffled posts in the government, most notably naming a new interior minister, justice minister, and heads of the Security Council and of the presidential executive office.

Bakhtiyor Khudoyorov was appointed head of president’s executive office, replacing Matloubkhon Davlatov, who was named first deputy prime minister.

It is to be noted that the position of first deputy prime minister had been vacant for several months after Asadullo Ghulomov suddenly died at the age of 57 in August 2011.

Matloubkhon Davlatov was born in the Dangahra district in 1950.  In 1970, he graduated from Faculty of Economics at Tajik National University.  From 1972 to 1990, he worked with the Institute of Economics of Tajikistan’s Academy of Sciences.  From 1994 to January 2006, Matloubkhon Davlatov served as Chairman of the State Committee for State-owned Property Management.  From January 31, 206 to February 2010, he was State Adviser to the President for Economic Matters and from March 2010 to January 5, 2012, Davaltov served as Head of President’s Executive Office.