QURGHON TEPPA, March 17, Asia-Plus  -- Ex-candidate to parliament from Vakhsh single-mandate constituency, Sayvali Nourov, who is former administrator in the Vakhsh district, faces hooliganism charge after assaulting an election official on election day, February 28.

Deputy Khatlon prosecutor, Tolibjon Azimov, told Asia-Plus Wednesday afternoon that the Khatlon prosecutor’s office has instituted criminal proceedings against Sayvali Nourov under the provisions of two articles of Tajikistan’s Penal Code – Article 130 (preventing exercise of rights and activities of electoral commissions) and Article 237 (hooliganism).

We will recall that Tolib Khoujanazarov, the head of the electoral commission for polling station # 20 in the Vakhsh district, told Asia-Plus on March 1 that Nourov assaulted him on February 28 in front of several people after he let an elderly man cast a ballot on behalf of his sick wife.

Nourov confirmed that he saw the old man vote more than once and reported it as a violation of election rules.  But he denied punching Khoujanazarov.