OSCE trains Tajikistan’s electoral body on election management

DUSHANBE, 1 June 2012 – An OSCE-supported training course on electoral management for staff and commission members of Tajikistan’s Central Commission for Elections and Referenda (CCER), including representatives from all eight registered political parties, concluded today in Dushanbe.

Ambassador Ivar Vikki, the Head of the OSCE in Tajikistan, underlined the importance of continuing to work on the development of electoral procedures, which was one of the recommendations of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights following its observation of the country’s 2010 parliamentary elections: “There is still time before next year’s presidential election and I welcome this constructive co-operation towards concrete improvements in the electoral process in Tajikistan.”

The training course was developed to meet the CCER’s needs by an expert in international electoral law who has been working with the CCER since March.

Speaking at the closing of the training, the CCER head Shermuhammad Shohiyon pointed to the need for continued training of precinct and district commission members in all regions of Tajikistan and outlined plans to train all commission members before the 2013 presidential election. “The CCER has with the assistance of the international expert developed more detailed and clear procedures for precinct and district members, and for complaints and appeals, and will now work on procedures for out-of-country voting,” said Shohiyon.

Renata Lapti, the OSCE expert and a former vice chairperson of the Moldavian Central Election Commission, said: “The training comprises principles of election management, electoral systems, electoral cycle, electoral management bodies’ development and the international standards for electoral process as a whole. This pilot training was organized in response to the CCER’s request and to support CCER capacity building plans for commission members that can be modeled after this training.”