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.