Tajikistan OKs extending presidency
8Voters in Tajikistan overwhelmingly endorsed changes to the constitution allowing the president, Emomali Rahmon, to run for an unlimited number of terms.
The central election commission (CEC) said 94.5% of votes cast in last Sunday’s referendum had backed 40 constitutional changes.
Turnout in the former Soviet central Asian country was 92%, or just over 4 million people, the CEC said.
The 63-year-old autocrat has ruled Tajikistan for nearly a quarter of a century, demonstrating what critics say is an increased disregard for religious freedoms, and political pluralism.