The Republic of Tajikistan gained its independence during the breakup of the Soviet Union on September 9, 1991 and promptly fell into a civil war from 1992-97 between old-guard regionally based ruling elites and disenfranchised regions, democratic liberal reformists, and Islamists loosely organized in a United Tajik Opposition (UTO). Other combatants and armed bands that flourished in this civil chaos simply reflected the breakdown of central authority rather than loyalty to a political faction. The height of hostilities occurred between 1992-93. By 1997, the predominantly Kulyabi-led Tajik Government and the UTO successfully negotiated a powersharing peace accord and implemented it by 2000.

Tajikistan is slowly rebuilding itself with an integrated government and continues to permit a Russian military presence to guard their border with Afghanistan and the basing of the Russian 201st Motorized Rifle Division that never left Tajikistan when it became independent. Most of these Russian-led forces, however, are local Tajik noncommissioned officers and soldiers.

Both Tajikistan's presidential and parliamentary elections, in 1999 and 2000, respectively, were widely considered to be flawed and unfair but peaceful. The inclusion of an overtly declared Islamic party committed to secular government (Islamic Rebirth Party) and several other parties in the Parliamentary elections represented an improvement in the Tajik people's right to choose their government. Tajikistan is the only Central Asian country in which a religiously affiliated political party is represented in Parliament. President Rahmonov, while no longer specifically obliged--as he was under the peace accords--to allocate one-third of government positions to the UTO, has kept some former UTO officials in senior cabinet-level positions. While the government and the now incorporated former opposition continue to distrust each other, they have often found a way to work with each other and are committed to peacefully resolving their differences.

Tajikistan's fragmented neighbor to the south, Afghanistan, continues to be a base of international terrorism, a scene of civil conflict between the Taliban and their opponents, and the world's largest producer of opium. This combination of negative factors produces crossborder effects that regularly threatens to destabilize Tajikistan's fragile and hard-won peace. In the summers of 1999 and 2000, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, an officially declared terrorist organization by the U.S. Government, used Tajikistan as a staging ground for an insurgency campaign against the Government of Uzbekistan. At the same time, Taliban advances in northern Afghanistan threatened to inundate Tajikistan with thousands of refugees. All the while, a constant flow of illegal narcotics continue to transit Tajikistan from Afghanistan on its way to Russian and European markets, leaving widespread violent crime, corruption, increased HIV incidence, and economic distortions in its wake. During 2002, stability in the country continued to increase, and the year was largely free of the assassinations and outbreaks of violence perpetrated by unreformed opposition members that plagued the country in previous years.

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Tajikistan
conventional short form: Tajikistan
local long form: Jumhurii Tojikiston
local short form: none
former: Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic

Data code: TI

Government type: republic

Capital: Dushanbe Dushanbe (Душанбе), population 582,400 (1991), is the capital of Tajikistan. ...

Administrative divisions:

Tajikistan is divided into 2 provinces (viloyatho, singular - viloyat) and 1 autonomous province* (viloyati mukhtor): Viloyati Mukhtori Kuhistoni Badakhshon* (Khorugh - formerly Khorog), Viloyati Khatlon (Qurghonteppa - formerly Kurgan-Tyube), Viloyati Sughd (Khujand - formerly Leninabad) Khorugh is the administrative centre of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region of Tajikistan, situated on the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan. ... Khatlon is a province of Tajikistan. ... Qurghonteppa (formerly known as Kurgan-Tyube) is a city in southwestern Tajikistan. ... Khujand (also transliterated as Khudjand, Khudzhand, and Khodjend), formerly Leninabad is a city on the Syr-Darya at the mouth of the Ferghana Valley, and also gives its name to the northernmost region of the Republic of Tajikistan. ...

note: the administrative center name follows in parentheses

Independence: September 9, 1991 (from Soviet Union) September 9 is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years). ... 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

National holiday: National Day, 9 September (1991)

Constitution: November 6, 1994

Legal system: based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Emomali Rahmonov (since 6 November 1994; head of state and Supreme Assembly chairman since 19 November 1992)
head of government: Prime Minister Ogil Oqilov (since 20 January 1999), see List of Presidents of Tajikistan
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved by the Supreme Assembly
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 6 November 1999 (next to be held NA 2006); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Emomali RAHMONOV elected president; percent of vote - Emomali RAHMONOV 97%, Davlat USMONOV 2%
Tajikistan held a constitutional referendum on 22 June 2003 that, among other things, set a term limit of two seven-year terms for the president Under the doctrine of the separation of powers, the executive is the branch of a government charged with implementing, or executing, the law. ... Emomali Sharipovich Rahmonov (born October 5, 1952) has been the President of Tajikistan since 1994 (and the head of state since 1992). ... Okil Ghaybulloyevich Okilov (also Akil Akilov) (born 1944) is the current Prime Minister of Tajikistan. ... This is a list of the Presidents of Tajikistan: Rakhmon Nabiyev (September 23, 1991 - October 6, 1991) Akbarsho Iskandrov (October 6, 1991 - December 2, 1991; acting) Rakhmon Nabiyev (December 2, 1991 - September 7, 1992) Akbarsho Iskandrov (September 7, 1992 - November 19, 1992; acting) Imamoli Rakhmanov (November 20, 1992 - present; as...

Legislative branch: bicameral Supreme Assembly or Majlisi Oli consists of the Assembly of Representatives (lower chamber) or Majlisi Namoyandagon (63 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the National Assembly (upper chamber) or Majlisi Milliy (33 seats; members are indirectly elected, 25 selected by local deputies, 8 appointed by the president; all serve five-year terms)
elections: last held February 27, and March 12, 2000 for the Assembly of Representatives (next to be held NA 2005) and March 23, 2000 for the National Assembly (next to be held NA 2005)
election results: Assembly of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PDPT 65%, Communist Party 20%, Islamic Rebirth Party 7.5%, other 7.5%; seats by party - NA; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA February 27 is the 58th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... March 12 is the 71st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (72nd in Leap years). ... 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (83rd in Leap years). ...

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the president

Political parties in Tajikistan and leaders: Political parties in Tajikistan lists political parties in Tajikistan. ...

• Democratic Party or TDP [Mahmadruzi ISKANDDAROV, chairman]
• Islamic Rebirth Party [Said Abdullo NURI, chairman]
• People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan (PDPT) [Emomali RAHMONOV]
• Social Democratic Party or SDPT [Rahmatullo ZOIROV]
• Socialist Party or SPT [Sherali KENJAYEV]
• Tajik Communist Party or CPT [Shodi SHABDOLOV]

(The following parties were listed as active in 2000, but there is no new information about them.) The Peoples Democratic Party of Tajikistan (Tajik: Hizbi Demokrati-Khalkii Tojikston) is a political party in Tajikistan. ...

• Lali Badakhshan Movement [Atobek AMIRBEKOV]
• National Unity Party - evolved from the People's Party and Party of People's Unity
• Party of Justice and Development [Rahmatullo ZOIROV]
• Rastokhez (Rebirth) Movement [Tohiri ABDUJABBOR]
• Tajikistan Party of Economic and Political Renewal or TPEPR [leader NA]
• United Tajik Opposition or UTO [Said Abdullo NURI] - an umbrella group including; Adolatho "Justice" Party [Abdurahmon KARIMOV, chairman]

Political pressure groups and leaders: there are two unregistered political parties with 1,000 or more members:

• Progressive Party [Suton QUVVATOV]
• Unity Party [Hikmatuko SAIDOV]

International organization participation:

AsDB, CCC, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, IOC, IOM, ITU, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer) The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a non-profit finance institution with many Asian governments as shareholder members who are also the recipients of funding where appropriate. ... World Customs Organization (WCO) is an intergovernmental organization that helps member states communicate and cooperate on customs issues. ... The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (in Russian: Содружество Независимых Государств (СНГ) - Sodruzhestvo Nezavisimykh Gosudarstv) is a confederation or alliance consisting of 11 of the 15 former Soviet Republics, the exceptions being the three Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, and Georgia. ... The Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) is a NATO organization, a multilateral forum created to improve relations between NATO and non-NATO coutries in Europe. ... The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) was founded in 1991 to promote private and entrepreneurial initiatives in the countries of central and eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). ... The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE or ECE) was established in 1947 to encourage economic cooperation among its member states. ... ECO may refer to the following: Economic Cooperation Organization Environment and Conservation Organisations of Aotearoa New Zealand Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings: A scheme to classify Chess openings This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), located in Bangkok, Thailand, is the regional arm of the United Nations Secretariat for the Asian and Pacific region. ... Headquartered in Rome, Italy, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations programs seek to raise levels of nutrition and standards of living; to improve the production, processing, marketing, and distribution of food and agricultural products; to promote rural development; and, by these means, to eliminate hunger. ... The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD, in Romance languages: BIRD), better known as the World Bank, is an international organization whose original mission was to finance the reconstruction of nations devastated by WWII. Now, its mission has expanded to fight poverty by means of financing states. ... The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an agency of the United Nations, develops the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth. ... The International Criminal Court (ICC) was established in 2002 as a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, as defined by several international agreements, most prominently the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. ... The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is the worlds largest group of humanitarian non-governmental organizations, often known simply as the Red Cross, after its original symbol. ... The International Development Association (IDA) was created on September 24, 1960, is a UN specialized agency. ... IDB can mean:- Illicit Diamond Buying (in South Africa) Image Database Industrial Development Board (for Northern Ireland) Informational Drug Brochure In-suit Drink Bag (for a spacesuit) Integrated Database Intelligence Database Inter-American Development Bank Inter-Dimensional Being Interleaved Dual Boost Internal Data Bus International Database Internet Database Internet Directory... The International Fund for Agricultural Development is an agency of the United Nations. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRCS) is an international humanitarian organisation, often better known as the Red Cross or the Red Crescent. ... For other meanings of the ILO abbreviation, see ILO (disambiguation). ... The flag of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is the international organization entrusted with overseeing global financial system‘s current trade account balances of member states. ... Intelsat is the worlds largest commercial satellite communications services provider. ... Alternative meanings at IOC (disambiguation) The International Olympic Committee is an organization based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin in 1894 to reinstate the Ancient Olympic Games held in Greece, and organize this sports event every four years. ... The International Organization for Migration is an intergovernmental organisation. ... The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is an international organization established to standardize and regulate international radio and telecommunications. ... The flag of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) is an inter-governmental organization with a Permanent Delegation to the United Nations. ... The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is an agency of the United Nations. ... The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is an international organization for security. ... This article is about the United Nations, for other uses of UN see UN (disambiguation) Official languages English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Arabic Secretary-General Kofi Annan (since 1997) Established October 24, 1945 Member states 191 Headquarters New York City, NY, USA Official site http://www. ... The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) was established in 1964 as a permanent intergovernmental body, UNCTAD is the principal organ of the United Nations General Assembly dealing with trade, investment and development issues. ... UNESCO logo The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, commonly known as UNESCO, is a specialized agency of the United Nations system established in 1946. ... United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is an agency of the United Nations with the mission of helping countries pursue sustainable industrial development, it is a specialist in industrial affairs. ... The Universal Postal Union (UPU) is a international organization that coordinates postal policies between member nations, and hence the world-wide postal system. ... The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) was established in the wake of the Second World War to bring together trade unions across the world in a single international organization, much like the United Nations. ... For other meanings of the acronym WHO, see WHO (disambiguation) WHO flag Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the World Health Organization (WHO) is an agency of the United Nations, acting as a coordinating authority on international public health. ... The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is one of the specialized agencies of the United Nations, and has as its core objectives the promotion of creative intellectual activity and the facilitation of the transfer of technology related to intellectual property to the developing countries in order to accelerate economic, social... The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 187 Member States and Territories. ... For other uses of the initials WTO, see WTO (disambiguation). ...

Flag description: three horizontal stripes of red (top), a wider stripe of white, and green; a gold crown surmounted by seven gold, five-pointed stars is located in the center of the white stripe

See also : Tajikistan