The president of Tajikistan is the

head of state A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...

of the Republic of Tajikistan. The president heads the executive branch of the country's government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Tajikistan.

History of the presidency

The first president of Tajikistan was Qahhor Mahkamov, who held the position of First Secretary of the Communist Party of Tajikistan and was appointed President of the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic in November 1990. Mahkamov served both as First Secretary and President but was forced to resign in August 1991 due to the unpopularity of his support for the August Coup of 1991 in Moscow and the resulting street demonstrations in

Dushanbe Dushanbe is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Tajikistan. , Dushanbe had a population of 1,564,700, with this population being largely Tajiks, Tajik. Until 1929, the city was known in Russian as Dyushambe, and from 1929 to 1961 as St ...

. From 1991 to 1992 the post of the president changed hands several times due to the political changes and uncertainty following the dissolution of the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

and ensuing social unrest and violence in the Tajikistani Civil War. Since 1994, Emomali Rahmon has held the position of the presidency. The presidential elections were last held in 2020. Presidential elections in Tajikistan have consistently been criticized by international observers as unfair and favoring the ruling party.

Constitutional role

The president of Tajikistan is the head of the state and the highest ranking chief government official in the country. The president is elected by a national vote and was historically limited to one seven-year term which can only be renewed once, until the abolishment of term limits. The president is also the supreme commander-in-chief of the Tajik National Army. In addition to the executive office of the president, there is a Security Council that advises the president on matters of national security. As Supreme Commander-in-Chief, he also is entitled to use the Center for the Management of the Armed Forces (opened on National Army Day in 2018), which would serve as the main military command center for the president, similarly to the

Russian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military of Russia. They are organized into three service branches—the Russian Ground Forces, Ground Forces, Russian Navy, Navy, and Russi ...

National Defense Management Center.

Executive office

The office of the president consisting of 5 departments and 24 offices is the executive arm of the president, including, inter alia, the following are the most important ones: * Department of the Constitutional Rights of Citizens * Department of Public Affairs, Information and Cultural Affairs * Department of Social Policy * Department of Economic Policy The president also has five state advisors who aide the president on policy issues: *State Advisor on Economic Issues *State Advisor on International Affairs *State Advisor on Science and Social issues *State Advisor on Public Affairs Information and Culture and State *State Advisor on Defense and Law Enforcement

Presidential standard

The standard of the president of the Republic of Tajikistan is the official symbol of the office of president in the country. It was made a legal state symbol in accordance with an amendment to Law No. 192 on July 28, 2006. It was introduced in time for the inauguration ceremony for Emomali Rahmon in his third term as head of state. The standard is a rectangular panel consisting of three horizontally arranged color bars which are similar to the colors on the Flag of Tajikistan. In it, there is a symbolic ''

Derafsh Kaviani Derafsh Kaviani ) was the royal standard Derafsh (in Latin: vexilloid) of Iran ( Persia) used since ancient times until the fall of the Sasanian Empire. The banner was also sometimes called the "Standard of Jamshid" ( ), the "Standard of Ferey ...

'' banner the center, with its upper part having spear, symbolizing the will and power of the authorities for the defense of the country. The banner is four-sided and has four branches inside (which represents the four

regions of Tajikistan Administratively, Tajikistan is divided into: * one autonomous region (; ) * two regions (, ), sing. , , ) * the districts under republic subordination * the capital city, Dushanbe. List of regions ;Notes: Administrative divisions Eac ...

), while the center depicts a winged lion with a crown and seven stars, which are the basis of the emblem of Tajikistan. The Derafsh Kaviani is embroidered with two gold threads on both sides of the standard.

Residence

Since 2008, the Palace of Nations (also called the ''Kohi Millat'' or the ''White House'') has been the official residence of the president of Tajikistan. The president often receives foreign dignitaries and public official at the palace, as well as holds public events at its main hall. Its construction was dedicated to Tajik historic king Ismail Samani. It opened in August 2008, hosting an SCO summit in its first day. The palace is portrayed on the back of a 500 Somoni banknote. Up until 2008, the presidential residence was located in a different location, in building that was built in 1957 (to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution), and formerly served as the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Tajikistan. In the Soviet era, it had hosted dignitaries such as Raul Castro, Ho Chi Minh,

Nikita Khrushchev Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and the Premier of the Soviet Union, Chai ...

Leonid Brezhnev Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev (19 December 190610 November 1982) was a Soviet politician who served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1964 until Death and state funeral of Leonid Brezhnev, his death in 1982 as w ...

, and

Boris Yeltsin Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin (1 February 1931 – 23 April 2007) was a Soviet and Russian politician and statesman who served as President of Russia from 1991 to 1999. He was a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) from 1961 to ...

. In 2017, the building became the temporary office of the Mayor of Dushanbe. It became the presidential residence in 1992. In February 2020, it was announced that the former palace would be demolished.

Selection process

Elections

The president of Tajikistan is elected for a seven-year term (Exception for Founder of peace and national Unity — Leader of the Nation) using the two-round system; if no candidate receives over 50% of all votes cast, a second round is held between 15 and 31 days later between the two candidates who received the most votes. For the result to be validated, voter turnout must exceed 50%; if it falls below the threshold, fresh elections will be held.Elections in Tajikistan: November 6 Presidential Elections: Frequently Asked Questions
IFES

Latest election

Inauguration ceremony

The inauguration ceremony takes place at the Kokhi Somon Palace in

. Following the ceremony, a military parade of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Tajikistan is held on Dousti Square. The minister of defence reads the oath of the allegiance to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief during the ceremony before the troops of the National Army march off. A 30-gun salute is fired to mark the occasion. The following years saw inauguration ceremonies held: * 1994 * 1999 - The ceremony was attended by Russian Prime Minister

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

. * 18 November 2006 * 16 November 2013 * 30 October 2020 - The ceremony was held amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Tajikistan.

List of presidents of Tajikistan

References

External links

Official site of President of Tajikistan
{{Heads of state and government of Asia Heads of state of Tajikistan Presidents 1990 establishments in Tajikistan T