DUSHANBE, August 5, 2008, Asia-Plus  -- A bill requiring amendments to the RT Law “On the Referendum” has been submitted for consideration to the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament), Muhibullo Dodojonov, an official with the Central Commission for Elections and Referenda (CCER), told Asia-Plus today.  

According to him, the amendments, worked out by the government, mainly concern status of local and international observers at referenda.  

"The law did not have the provisions on a status of local and international observers at referenda, and local and international experts have criticized the commission and the government for that,” said Dodojonov, “The amendments will improve the law.” 

The CCER official noted that a process of improvement of the country’s election legislation is under way, adding that amendments proposed to the parliamentary election legislation had also been submitted for consideration to the parliament.  “The CCER intends to start working out the code on elections in Tajikistan,” he said.  

We will recall that Tajikistan adopted the referendum law in 1995 and the last amendments were made to it in 2001.