Simple directory > Regional > Tajikistan

Country : Tajikistan Official name: Respublika i Tojikiston (Republic of Tajikistan) Head of State: President Emomali Rakhmonov (leader since 1992; elected Nov 1994; re-elected 1999) Head of government: Prime Minister Akil Akilov (since Dec 1999) Ruling party: Hizbi Demokrati Khalkii Tajikistan (HDKT) (People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan) (re-elected Feb/Mar 2005) Area: 143,100 square km Population: 6.54 million (2004) Capital: Dushanbe Official language: Tajik (Farsi) Currency: Somoni (Sm) = 100 dirams (introduced 30 Oct 2000) Exchange rate: Sm2.79 per US$ (Nov 2004) GDP per capita: US$169 (2003) GDP real growth: 6.00% (2003) Labour force: 3.19 million (2003) Unemployment: 40.00% (2003) (unofficial) Inflation: 14.50% (2003) Oil production: 250 bpd (2003) Balance of trade: -US$120.00 million (2003) Foreign debt: US$1,000.00 million (2003)

Historical profile

For much of its history, Tajikistan has come under the control of foreign powers and was introduced to Islam in the eighth century by Arab invaders. From the seventeenth century, Tajikistan was ruled by the Khan of Bukhara until 1868 when the Russian Empire conquered Central Asia.

1917 Southern Tajikistan remained under the control of the Khan of Bukhara while northern Tajikistan was incorporated into Soviet-controlled Turkestan, which also included Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, part of northern Turkmenistan and southern Kazakhstan.

1920s Soviet nationalities policy, under the direction of Stalin, saw Soviet rule enforced by Red Army troops who put down fierce Muslim resistance in Central Asia after the Russian civil war.

1924 Tajikistan was granted autonomous status in the Socialist Soviet Republic (SSR) of Uzbekistan.

1929 Tajikistan was detached from Uzbekistan and became a separate SSR.

1930–80s The country underwent a period of agricultural collectivisation and industrialisation, which was unpopular with the population.

1990 Social and ethnic tensions erupted in violence in Dushanbe and along the Tajikistan-Kyrgyzstan border. Soviet troops were sent to Dushanbe to suppress pro-democracy protests. President Kahar Mahkamov resigned after being accused of supporting an attempted coup against the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Mahkamov was succeeded by Kadridin Aslonov as interim president of the republic.

1991 The collapse of the Soviet Union resulted in Tajikistan declaring independence. Aslonov was forced to resign after attempting to ban the Communist Party of Tajikistan (CPT). Aslonov's successor, Rahmon Nabiyev, was appointed president after winning Tajikistan's first direct presidential elections. Tajikistan joined the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

1992 Anti-government demonstrations began in Dushanbe and turned into armed clashes. Nabiyev resigned and the CPT government collapsed. A coalition of democratic and Islamic parties, led by Akhbarshah Iskandarov, briefly took control. Pro-Communists massacred thousands of government supporters in Dushanbe. The CPT gained power again while many Islamists took up arms against the government. Imamali Rakhmonov became head of state.

1993 The Supreme Court returned the country to one-party rule after banning all political parties other than the ruling CPT. A CIS peace-keeping force was deployed along the Tajikistan-Afghan border to prevent armed incursions by Islamic guerrilla groups.

1994 The presidential elections were won by Rakhmonov.

1995 Legislative elections took place without the participation of any of the opposition groups.

1997 Opposition parties were legalised. As part of a peace treaty between the Tajikistan government and the Islamic United Tajik Opposition (UTO), the government agreed to give 30 per cent of its seats to opposition representatives, retaining 50 per cent for itself, and to give the remaining 20 per cent to independents.

1998 The government removed the ban on religious political parties.

1999 President Rakhmanov was re-elected.

2000 The elections were won by the Hizbi Demokrati Khalkii Tajikistan (HDKT) (People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan). A new currency – the somoni – replaced the Tajik rouble. The presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan (formerly the Customs Five) established the Eurasian Economic Community (EEC).

2001 Tajikistan, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan formed the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) to encourage investment and trade between the states.

2002 Tajikistan became the last Central Asian republic to join NATO's Partnership for Peace (PfP) programme.

2003 A referendum vote went in favour of allowing President Rakhmonov to run for a further two consecutive seven-year terms after 2006.

2004 In July, parliament approved a moratorium on the death penalty. Russia formally opened a military base in Dushanbe in October; it also took back control over a former Soviet space monitoring centre at Nurek.

2005 The ruling HDKT won the the parliamentary elections held in February/March.

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