Tajikistan

The Republic of Tajikistan (Тоҷикистон), formerly known as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic, is a country in Central Asia. It has borders with Afghanistan, China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. Tajikistan means the 'Land of the Tajiks'.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Tajikistan

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Almost immediately after independence, Tajikistan was plunged into a civil war that saw various factions, allegedly backed by Russia and Iran, fighting one another. All but 25,000 of the more than 400,000 ethnic Russian middle-management middle class fled to Russia. By 1997 the war had cooled down, and a central government began to take form, with peaceful elections in 1999.

Related Topics:
Civil war - Iran - 1999

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Tajikistan is officially a republic, and holds elections for the President and Parliament. The latest elections occurred in 2005, and as all previous elections, international observers believe them to have been flawed, arousing many accusations from opposition parties that President Emomali Rahmonov manipulates the election process.

Related Topics:
President - 2005 - Emomali Rahmonov

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In the Parliament, opposition groups have often clashed with the ruling party, but this has not led to great instability.

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• Account of events from independence leading to the Bishkek agreement of 1997