DUSHANBE, December 11, 2014, Asia-Plus -- For the first time parliamentary candidates in Tajikistan will be tested on their knowledge of the Tajik language.

“The parliamentary candidates will be tested for knowledge of state language in five days after lodging their applications for registration in the presence of members of the Central Commission for Elections and Referenda (CCER) and linguistic experts,” Abdumannon Dodoyev, the head of the CCER’s office, told Asia-Plus in an interview.      

According to him, candidates to both chambers of the parliament (Majlisi Oli) will have to write their biographies, read one-page text in Tajik and undergo an interview in the presence of the commission members.

“Candidates to regional, city and district legislatures will undergo similar test,” Dodoyev added.

We will recall that the Central Commission for Elections and Referenda endorsed the regulations on the procedure of testing knowledge of parliamentary candidates of state language in July this year.  

Specialists from the Faculties of Law and the Committee on the State Language and Terminology under the Government of Tajikistan have reportedly been got involved in the work on the regulations.