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Tajikistan
Women in decision-making positions

Government organization

Tajikistan is a unitary republic with three spheres of government: central, intermediate (the Autonomous Region of Gorno-Badakhshanskaya), and local.

One tier of central government, one tier of partial intermediate government and three tiers of local government.
Central government
  • Head of State: The President is directly elected by voters.
  • Head of Government: The Prime Minister is appointed by a decree of the President, after the approval of the joint session of the Majlisi Milli and the Majlisi Namoyandagon.
  • Legislative body: The Majlisi Oli is a bicameral legislature, with an upper house (the Majlisi Milli) and a lower house (the Majlisi Namoyandagon). The Majlisi Oli is composed of members directly elected by voters.
  • Executive body: The Government consists of the Prime Minister, the first deputy, deputies, ministers, and chairpersons of the state committees. Members of the Government are appointed by a presidential decree after approval of the joint session of the Majlisi Milli and the Majlisi Namoyandagon.
Autonomous Region of Gorno-Badakhshanskaya government
  • Legislative body: The People’s Assembly of Deputies of the Gorno-Badakhshanskaya Autonomous Region is the unicameral legislature of the Autonomous Region of Gorno-Badakhshanskaya, whose members are directly elected by voters.
  • Executive body: The Chairperson of the Gorno-Badakhshanskaya Autonomous Region is the executive of the Autonomous Region of Gorno-Badakhshanskaya who is appointed by the President of Tajikistan with the approval of the appropriate Majlis.
Local government
  • Organization: Local government is organized into three tiers: an upper tier of the regional-level local government units (13 districts of republican subordination (Ноҳияҳои тобеи ҷумҳурӣ), two regions (вилоятҳо), and the City of Dushanbe (Душанбе)), an intermediate tier of the district-level local government units (17 cities (шаҳрҳо) and 62 districts of regional subordination (ноҳияҳои тобеи вилоят)), and a lower tier of 402 settlement and village-level local government units.
  • Autonomies: Local government is responsible for approving the local budget, establishing local taxes and fees, adopting local acts, and managing local assets.

Overview of local government

Local government composition
Regional-level government (вилоятҳо)

Deliberative body: The people’s assembly of deputies (мачлиси халкии депутатхо) is composed of up to 70 elected deputies. An assembly chairperson is appointed to preside over the assembly; the assembly chairperson is also vested with executive powers.

Executive body: The assembly chairperson is the executive at the regional level of government.

District-level government (Ноҳия)

Deliberative body: The people’s assembly of deputies (мачлиси халкии депутатхо) is composed of up to 40 elected deputies. An assembly chairperson is appointed to preside over the assembly; the assembly chairperson is also vested with executive powers.

Executive body: The assembly chairperson is the executive at the district level of government.  

Settlement and village-level government (деҳот ва шаҳракҳо)

Deliberative body: The jamoat assembly (ҷамъомади ҷамоат) is composed of 15-40 elected members. An assembly chairperson is elected by and from the assembly to preside over it; the assembly chairperson is also vested with executive powers.

Executive body: The jamoat council (шӯрои ҷамоатӣ) is composed of 7-11 total members, including the assembly chairperson.

Local government elections
Electoral system

Electoral system for deliberative bodies: majority/plurality (two-round system)

  • There have not been local elections in Tajikistan since 2000. However, by law, elections for local deliberative bodies take place by two-round majoritarian voting in uninominal election districts. 
  • A candidate shall be considered elected upon receiving more than 50 percent of votes of voters who took part in voting. If more than two candidates for deputies have run for office in the constituency and neither one of them was not elected in the first round, the district electoral commission decides to hold a second round for the two candidates who received the highest number votes; a candidate shall be considered elected if they receive more votes than the other candidate in the repeat voting.

Electoral system for executive bodies: no direct elections, appointment

  • Assembly chairpersons are appointed, except at the settlement and village level, where they are elected by and from the council.

Sources: Law on the Bodies of Local Self-Government of Villages and Settlements, 2009 (amended through 2019), articles 31, 40 and 41; Law on the Election of Deputies to Local Majlises of People’s Deputies, 1999 (amended through 2019), articles 1, 7, 42 and 46

Quotas
  • Gender quotas: No
  • Additional quotas: No
Term of elections
  • Term length: 5 years
  • Last local elections: 2000
  • Next local elections: 2020
Electoral management body

Central Commission on Elections and Referenda of Tajikistan; district electoral commissions

Sources:

1. UN Women: Data on share of women in local government as of 1 January 2023.

2. UN Women: Information on Head of State and Government as of 3 October 2023.

3. Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU): Data on share of women in the single/lower chamber of parliament as of 1 January 2023.

4. IPU and UN Women: Data on share of women in ministerial positions as of 1 January 2023.

5. Information on local government organization as of 1 January 2022.