A way to presidency for Rustam Emomali

Rustam Emomali, the son of the head of Tajikistan and the current mayor of Dushanbe, was elected chairman of the upper house of parliament. Thus, he became the second person in the republic and at the same time the successor to the presidency. The intrigue is only when the Tajik leader Emomali Rahmon entrusts the reins of government to his son. Today the first session of the Majlisi milli Majlisi Oli of the Republic of Tajikistan (upper house of parliament) of the sixth convocation was held, in which President Emomali Rahmon participated.

Rustam Emomali’s candidacy for the post of speaker of the upper house of parliament was proposed by Majlisi Milli Odilzoda Dilbar Rahim, the Tajik presidential press service said. In a secret ballot, all members of the Majlisi Milli cast their votes for him. According to article 71 of the Constitution of Tajikistan, in the event of resignation, recognition as incompetent or the death of the president, his duties until the newly elected president assumes office are transferred to the chairman of the upper house of parliament. Thus, Rustam Emomali has every chance to lead the country. The presidential election is scheduled for autumn 2020. This is the final stage in the process of preparing Rustam Emomali for the presidency, experts say.

However, the head of state is not going to rest. As previously reported by Vestnik Kavkaza (01.24.2020), Rakhmon retains a lifelong title of leader of the nation, backed up by the constitutionally guaranteed ability to control the adoption of all major political decisions.

Rustam Emomali's career was swift and worthy of the Guinness Book of Records. In November 2013, at the age of 26, Rustam Emomali was promoted to major general. From that moment he replaced several leading posts - the head of the Customs Service, the Anti-Corruption Agency, the Committee on Investments and State Property, was the chairman of the Youth Union of Tajikistan, and tried himself as a deputy of the Dushanbe Legislative Assembly. In January 2017, he was appointed mayor of the capital, replacing Mahmadsaid Ubaidulloev, who held this chair for 21 years. In January 2017, the head of state dismissed Ubaidullayev, appointing his son as mayor of Dushanbe.

In April 2020, Rustam Emomali again “pushed” Ubaidullaev now as speaker of the parliament. The young politician received not only the experience of public administration, but also got acquainted with representatives of international structures and heads of state. For diligent work, his father awarded him the state order "Zarrintodge" (Golden Crown). Despite the fact that the presidential election is scheduled for this fall, neither the incumbent president nor his son announced their participation in them. The situation, according to experts, is inappropriate. The COVID-19 pandemic is rampant in the world. Tajikistan remains almost the only country on the planet where cases of coronavirus infection have not yet been recorded.

However, it is possible that in the coming days, the Tajik authorities will change their position and recognize the threat of an epidemic. Firstly, the festivities scheduled for April 19 were canceled in connection with the celebration of Dushanbe City Day. Secondly, according to the tradition already established in the republic, or rather, "at the request of the working people", a self-isolation regime may be introduced. Azamkhon Akbarov, director of the Asia TV and Radio Company, in an open letter to the Minister of Health and Social Affairs of Tajikistan, suggested thinking about this "to prevent the spread of COVID-19." This is against the background of official reports of the death of several people in the north of the republic ... from tuberculosis. Abarov also asks local authorities to control prices in food markets, as food and medicine prices have crawled up.

Today, Emomali Rahmon held an operational meeting of the government, during which he discussed the adoption of sanitary-hygienic measures to prevent COVID-19 and reduce the impact of the financial crisis on the country's economy, the press service of the head of state said. The head of state also noted that it is necessary to take measures for the economical use of budget funds, to avoid repeated and inappropriate expenses, the full payment of salaries to social workers, as well as pensions, compensations and benefits, to improve medical services, to regulate the foreign exchange market and to normalize the national currency rate.

Tajik political scientist Parviz Mullodzhanov, who lives in Sweden, believes that Dushanbe has chosen the Swedish version of "soft quarantine" aimed at creating collective immunity. According to him, there are several possible explanations for the actions of the authorities. Firstly, they reasonably fear that the introduction of quarantine will bury local small and medium-sized businesses, and so are not in the best condition. Secondly, the government fears a panic that may occur after the epidemic is officially recognized: total purchases of food and goods will begin, as has happened in the past, and this will lead to higher prices and food shortages in the market. Thirdly, the government hopes that the spread of coronavirus can be stopped, especially since 70% of the population of Tajikistan is young people who can easily tolerate the disease. Finally, fourthly, given the upcoming presidential election, the introduction of strict quarantine and the actual destruction of small businesses is very undesirable.

"However, the Tajik authorities forget that one of the main pillars of the Swedish approach is wide public awareness and awareness. In Tajikistan, especially after the WHO officially supported government data on the absence of a pandemic, the population as a whole stopped accepting any serious precautions, "said Parviz Mullodzhanov.