Comment:
The difference between these two versions of the law on political parties
is so subtle as to be nearly nonexistent, and leads directly to the question
of how, or even whether, Tajik law currently differentiates between religious
organizations and political parties which are based on religion. If there
is no legal definition of either term, then it is more than likely that
the Islamic Renaissance Party (IRP)--Said Abdullo Nuri and Ali Akbar Turajonzoda's
party, and the strongest force in the UTO--will meet with many more obstacles
as the parliamentary elections approach.
The recent conflict over the political parties law passed by the Tajik parliament
at the end of May, in addition to highlighting the serious rifts that still
exist between the UTO and President Rahmonov's administration, also illustrate
clearly the weaknesses in the inter-Tajik peace agreement. The agreement
calls for actions which are not sanctioned by Tajikistan's current body
of laws (many of which date back to Soviet days). Furthermore, it is not
absolutely clear whose decisions carry more weight--the National Reconciliation
Commission (NRC), or the Tajik parliament. The NRC is indeed responsible
for proposing amendments to Tajikistan's election laws, but the peace agreement
does not state whether it is necessary for the legislature to accept these
proposals in order for them to become law, and what steps should be taken
if the legislature rejects any of the NRC's suggestions.
In other Central Asian republics, the president has sufficient authority
to order the legislature to accept certain measures. Whether this is also
the case in Tajikistan, President Rahmonov has thus far refrained from exerting
pressure on the Tajik parliament to accept the NRC's proposals, or to keep
its actions in line with the terms of the peace agreement. But then President
Rahmonov himself seems reluctant to carry out the requirements of the peace
agreement's political protocol.