Emomali Rahmon (Tajik:Эмомали Раҳмон; bornEmomali Sharipovich Rahmonov[a], born 5 October 1952) is aTajik politician anddictator who has served as thePresident of Tajikistan since 1994, having previously led the country as Chairman of theSupreme Assembly from 1992 to 1994 (the post of president was temporarily abolished during this period).
He became better known in 1992 after the abolition of the presidency, when at the dawn of thecivil war he became Chairman of the Supreme Soviet (Parliament) of Tajikistan as a compromise candidate between communists andneo-communists on the one hand and liberal-democratic, nationalist andIslamist forces (theUnited Tajik Opposition) on the other.
Rahmon has won five undemocratic presidential elections. In addition, he extended his powers via constitutional referendums in1999 and2003. 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 in2016, amendments were adopted that removed presidentialterm limits.
Rahmon heads anauthoritarian regime in Tajikistan with elements of acult of personality. Political opponents are repressed, violations of human rights and freedoms are severe, elections are not free and fair, andcorruption andnepotism are rampant.[2][3][4][5] Various important government positions are occupied by his family members, such as his37-year-old sonRustam Emomali, who is the chairman of the country's parliament and the mayor of its capital city,Dushanbe.[6][7][8]
As a risingapparatchik in Tajikistan, he became a chairman of the collective state farm of his nativeDanghara. According to his official biography, Rahmon graduated from theTajik State National University with a specialist's degree in economics in 1982. After working for several years in the DangharaSovkhoz, Rahmon was appointed chairman of the sovkhoz in 1987.[14]
In 1990, Rahmon was elected a people's deputy to theSupreme Soviet of theTajik SSR.[15] PresidentRahmon Nabiyev was forced to resign in the first months of theCivil War in August 1992.Akbarsho Iskandrov, Speaker of the Supreme Soviet, became acting president. Iskandarov resigned in November 1992 in an attempt to end thecivil unrest. That same month, the Supreme Soviet met inKhujand 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.[15] Former Interior MinisterYaqub 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."[16][17]
In 1994, a new constitution re-established the presidency. Rahmon waselected 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 theUnited Tajik Opposition. As many as 100,000 people died during the war. He survived an assassination attempt on 30 April 1997 in Khujand,[18] as well as two attemptedcoups in August 1997 and November 1998.
Following constitutional changes, he wasre-elected on 6 November 1999 to a seven-year term, officially taking 97% of the vote.
On 22 June 2003, areferendum 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 acontroversial election on 6 November 2006, with about 79% of the vote, according to official results.
In a diplomatic cable that wasleaked in 2010, the United States ambassador in Tajikistan reported that Rahmon and his family controlled the country's major businesses, including the largest bank.[19] On 6 November 2013, he wasre-elected for with about 84% of the vote, in an election process which theOrganization for Security and Co-operation in Europe said lacked "genuine choice and meaningful pluralism".[20]
In December 2015, a law passed by Tajikistan's parliament gave Rahmon the title "Founder of Peace and National Unity – Leader of the Nation" (Tajik:Асосгузори сулҳу ваҳдати миллӣ – Пешвои миллат,romanized: Asosguzori sulhu vahdati millî – Peshvo'i millat).[21] 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.[22][23]
On 22 May 2016, anationwide referendum approved a number of changes to the country'sconstitution.[24] Among the main changes were the removal of presidential term limits for Rahmon, a ban on religious political parties such as theIslamic 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.[25][26] In January 2017, Rustam was appointed Mayor of Dushanbe, the country's largest city and capital.[27]
In November 2018, Rahmon launched a hydroelectric station to solve energy problems.[28] In October 2020, he was once againre-elected as president for a fifth term with a margin of 90.92%, amid fraud allegations.[29][30] In July 2021, over 1,000 Afghan troops and civilians fled to Tajikistan afterTaliban insurgentstook control of many parts ofAfghanistan.[31] In response, Rahmon ordered 20,000 reserve servicemen of the country'sGround Forces to be sent to theAfghan–Tajik border.[32][33]
Rahmon with Azerbaijani PresidentIlham Aliyev inBaku, December 2012U.S. Secretary of StateJohn Kerry with Rahmon, 2015
Rahmon is aSunni Muslim and has frequently stressed his Muslim background even though his administration has suppressed public display of Islamic devotion.[34] The government imposed bans on beards; attendance atmosque for women and children under 18;hajj for people under 40; studying in Islamic schools outsideTajikistan; the production, import or export of Islamic books without permission, implemented in 2017; using loudspeakers to broadcast theadhan;veils;madrassas; Islamist political parties; andArabic-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.[35] In January 2016, Rahmon performed anUmrah with a number of his children and senior members of his government. It was his fourth pilgrimage to Mecca.[36]
His reply to critics of the election standards of the 2006 Tajikistani presidential election was:
"In Tajikistan, more than 99 percent of those residing here are Muslim. We have a completely different culture. You have to take that into account".[37]
During a 2010Organisation of Islamic Cooperation session inDushanbe, 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."[38]
Membership inHizb 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.[39]
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.[42]
By 2024, theSalafi movement andpolygamy became popular in Tajikistan, despite both officially being banned by the government.[43][44]
Rahmon had a sister, who reportedly died in a hospital ofCOVID-19 on 20 July 2021. According to local media, her sons physically assaulted the nationalhealth minister and a senior doctor.[52][53]
One of his grandchildren reportedly purchased a luxury three-bedroom beachfront apartment onDubai'sPalm 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.[54]
In March 2007, Rahmonov changed his surname toRahmon, getting rid of theRussian-style "-ov" ending.[55] He also removed the patronymic,Sharipovich, from his name altogether. Rahmon explained that he had done so out of respect for his cultural heritage.[56][57] 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.[58]
^Birthname appears variously asEmomali Sharipovich Rakhmonov, Imamali Sharipovich Rakhmanov or Imomali Sharipovich Rakhmonov; all transliteration into English of the Russian forms (Эмомали Шарипович Рахмонов and Имамали Шарипович Рахманов) of his Tajik name.Tajik:Эмомалӣ Шарипович Раҳмонов,romanized: Emomalí Šaripovič Rahmonov;[e̞mɔ̝mäˈliʃäˈɾipɔ̝vitʃɾähˈmɔ̝nɔ̝w]Russian:Эмомали́ Шари́пович Рахмо́нов,romanized: Emomalí Sharípovich Rahmónov[1]
^ab"Emomali Rahmon".Official Website of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan.Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved4 September 2016.
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