Emomali Rahmon

Emomali Rahmon ( ; born 5 October 1952), born Emomali Sharipovich Rahmanov, is a Tajik politician who has served as the President of Tajikistan since 1994, having previously led the country as Chairman of the Supreme Assembly from 1992 to 1994.

Since 18 March 1998, he has also served as the leader of the People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan, which dominates the Parliament of Tajikistan. On 30 September 1999, he was elected vice-president of the United Nations General Assembly for a one-year term.

He became better known in 1992 after the abolition of the presidency, when at the dawn of the civil war he became Chairman of the Supreme Soviet (Parliament) of Tajikistan as a compromise candidate between communists and neo-communists on the one hand and liberal-democratic, nationalist and Islamist forces (the United Tajik Opposition) on the other.

Rahmon has won five undemocratic presidential elections. In addition, he extended his powers via constitutional referendums in 1999 and 2003. Since 25 December 2015, he has held the lifetime titles of "Founder of Peace and National Unity" and "Leader of the Nation". Following the results of another constitutional referendum in 2016, amendments were adopted that removed presidential term limits.

Rahmon heads an authoritarian regime in Tajikistan with elements of a cult of personality. Political opponents are repressed, violations of human rights and freedoms are severe, elections are not free and fair, and corruption and nepotism are rampant. Various important government positions are occupied by his family members, such as his -year-old son Rustam Emomali, who is the chairman of the country's parliament and the mayor of its capital city, Dushanbe.

Early life

Rahmon was born as Emomali Sharipovich Rakhmonov to Sharif Rahmonov (–1992) and Mayram Sharifova (1910–2004), a peasant family in Danghara, Kulob Oblast (present-day Khatlon Region). His father was a Red Army veteran of World War II, and recipient of the Order of Glory in the 2nd and 3rd degrees. From 1971 to 1974, Rahmon served in the Soviet Union's Pacific Fleet, during which he was stationed in the Primorsky Krai. After completing military service, Rahmon returned to his native village where he worked for some time as an electrician.

As a rising apparatchik in Tajikistan, he became a chairman of the collective state farm of his native Danghara. According to his official biography, Rahmon graduated from the Tajik State National University with a specialist's degree in economics in 1982. After working for several years in the Danghara Sovkhoz, Rahmon was appointed chairman of the sovkhoz in 1987.

Early politics

In 1990, Rahmon was elected a people's deputy to the Supreme Soviet of the Tajik SSR. President Rahmon Nabiyev was forced to resign in the first months of the Civil War in August 1992. Akbarsho Iskandrov, Speaker of the Supreme Soviet, became acting president. Iskandarov resigned in November 1992 in an attempt to end the civil unrest. That same month, the Supreme Soviet met in Khujand for its 16th session and declared Tajikistan a parliamentary republic. Rahmon was then elected by the members of the Supreme Soviet as its chairman (as the parliamentary republican system adopted by Tajikistan did not provide for a ceremonial president, he was also head of state) and the head of government. Former Interior Minister Yaqub Salimov later recalled that Rahmon's appointment was made because he was "nondescript", in which other field commanders thought that he could be cast aside "when he had served his purpose."

Presidency (1994–present)

In 1994, a new constitution re-established the presidency. Rahmon was elected to the post on 6 November 1994 and sworn in ten days later. During the civil war that lasted from 1992 to 1997, Rahmon's rule was opposed by the United Tajik Opposition. As many as 100,000 people died during the war. He survived an assassination attempt on 30 April 1997 in Khujand, as well as two attempted coups in August 1997 and November 1998.

Following constitutional changes, he was re-elected on 6 November 1999 to a seven-year term, officially taking 97% of the vote.

On 22 June 2003, a referendum was passed allowing him to run for two more consecutive seven-year terms after his term expired in 2006. Rahmon was re-elected to a seven-year term in a controversial election on 6 November 2006, with about 79% of the vote, according to official results.

In a diplomatic cable that was leaked in 2010, the United States ambassador in Tajikistan reported that Rahmon and his family controlled the country's major businesses, including the largest bank. On 6 November 2013, he was re-elected for with about 84% of the vote, in an election process which the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe said lacked "genuine choice and meaningful pluralism".

In December 2015, a law passed by Tajikistan's parliament gave Rahmon the title "Founder of Peace and National Unity – Leader of the Nation" (). The "Leader of the Nation" component is used frequently as a shorter title. In addition to granting Rahmon lifelong immunity from prosecution, the law also gave him a number of other lifelong privileges, including veto powers over all major state decisions, the freedom to address the nation and parliament on all matters he deems important, and the privilege of attending all government meetings and parliament sessions.

On 22 May 2016, a nationwide referendum approved a number of changes to the country's constitution. Among the main changes were the removal of presidential term limits for Rahmon, a ban on religious political parties such as the Islamic Renaissance Party, and the reduction of the minimum eligibility age for presidential candidates from 35 to 30, enabling Rahmon's older son, Rustam Emomali, to run for president any time after 2017. In January 2017, Rustam was appointed Mayor of Dushanbe, the country's largest city and capital.

In November 2018, Rahmon launched a hydroelectric station to solve energy problems. In October 2020, he was once again re-elected as president for a fifth term with a margin of 90.92%, amid fraud allegations. In July 2021, over 1,000 Afghan troops and civilians fled to Tajikistan after Taliban insurgents took control of many parts of Afghanistan. In response, Rahmon ordered 20,000 reserve servicemen of the country's Ground Forces to be sent to the Afghan–Tajik border.

Religion policy

Rahmon is a Sunni Muslim and has frequently stressed his Muslim background even though his administration has suppressed public display of Islamic devotion. The government imposed bans on beards; attendance at mosque for women and children under 18; hajj for people under 40; studying in Islamic schools outside Tajikistan; the production, import or export of Islamic books without permission, implemented in 2017; using loudspeakers to broadcast the adhan; veils; madrassas; Islamist political parties; and Arabic-sounding names, implemented in 2016. Furthermore, mosques are heavily regulated, providing unofficial Islamic teaching can lead to up to 12 years of imprisonment, and an arduous process is required to obtain a permit to establish an Islamic organisation, publish an Islamic book, or go on pilgrimage to Mecca. In January 2016, Rahmon performed an Umrah with a number of his children and senior members of his government. It was his fourth pilgrimage to Mecca.

His reply to critics of the election standards of the 2006 Tajikistani presidential election was:

During a 2010 Organisation of Islamic Cooperation session in Dushanbe, Rahmon spoke against what he called the misuse of Islam for political ends, claiming that "Terrorism, terrorists, have no nation, no country, no religion... Using the name 'Islamic terrorism' only discredits Islam and dishonors the pure and harmless religion of Islam."

Membership in Hizb ut-Tahrir, a militant Islamic party that aims to overthrow secular governments and unify Muslims under one Islamic state, is illegal and members are subject to arrest and imprisonment.

The Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRP) is a banned Islamist political party and has been designated a terrorist organization since 2015.

In 2017, the government of Tajikistan passed a law requiring people to "stick to traditional national clothes and culture", which has been widely seen as an attempt to prevent women from wearing Islamic clothing, in particular the style of headscarf wrapped under the chin, in contrast to the traditional Tajik headscarf tied behind the head.

By 2024, the Salafi movement and polygamy became popular in Tajikistan, despite both officially being banned by the government.

Personal life

Family

He is married to Azizmo Asadullayeva and has nine children. Two of his children, Rustam Emomali and Ozoda Rahmon, are senior officials in his administration, while another, Zarina Rahmon, was appointed deputy head of Orienbank in January 2017. Rustam is widely believed to be his father's successor.

Rahmon had a sister, who reportedly died in a hospital of COVID-19 on 20 July 2021. According to local media, her sons physically assaulted the national health minister and a senior doctor.

One of his grandchildren reportedly purchased a luxury three-bedroom beachfront apartment on Dubai's Palm Jumeirah when he was just nine years old. The property, now valued at over $1.3 million, continues to generate approximately $55,000 in annual rental income.

Name changes

In March 2007, Rahmonov changed his surname to ''Rahmon'', getting rid of the Russian-style "-ov" ending. He also removed the patronymic, ''Sharipovich'', from his name altogether. Rahmon explained that he had done so out of respect for his cultural heritage. Following the move, scores of government officials, including members of parliament and civil servants, also removed Russian-style patronymics and "-ov" endings from their surnames. In April 2016, Tajikistan officially banned giving Russian-style patronymics and surnames to newborn children.

Honours and awards

* Honorary Doctorate of Leadership by the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology (LUCT)
* Hero of Tajikistan
* Order of Mubarak the Great
* Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise (2008)
* Order of the Three Stars (2009)
* Order of Merit of Ukraine (2011)
* Heydar Aliyev Order (2012)
* Order of the President of Turkmenistan (2012)
* Order of the Republic of Serbia (2013)
* Order of Alexander Nevsky (2017)
* Order of Parasat (2018)
* Mark of Honour of Heads of State in Central Asia (2021)
* Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" (2022)
* Honorary Doctorate in Arts by Cairo University (2022)
* Order of the Golden Eagle (2023)
* Friendship Medal (2024)

Notes

References

External links

*
NOSKADU

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rahmon, Emomali
1952 births
Heads of state of Tajikistan
Living people
People from Khatlon Region
Critics of Islamism
People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan politicians
Presidents of Tajikistan
Tajik National University alumni
Recipients of the Heydar Aliyev Order
Tajikistani Sunni Muslims
Recipients of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 1st class
Tajik politicians
21st-century Tajikistani politicians
20th-century Tajikistani politicians
Communist Party of the Soviet Union members
Recipients of the Order of Alexander Nevsky
Recipients of the Order of Parasat
20th-century presidents in Asia
People of the Tajikistani Civil War
Recipients of the Order of Merit (Ukraine), 1st class
Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 3rd class