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Eurasia
July 21, 2017 www.intellinews.com I Page 17
Tajik president’s 23-year old daughter appointed deputy head of largest Tajik bank
bne IntelliNews
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon’s daughter, 23-year-old Zarina Rahmon, has been appointed a deputy head of Tajikistan’s largest commercial bank Orienbank.
Zarina was appointed in January 2017, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported, citing bank documents it obtained, but no public announcement of the ap- pointment was made. Zarina is only the latest of Rahmon’s family members to be given influential positions. Other recent appointments include Rahmon’s eldest daughter Ozoda as a Senator and justice counsellor as well as his eldest son, Rustam, as the mayor of the country’s capital, Dushanbe.
Rahmon has actively been shuffling his children among positions of power over the past few years. Ozoda was previously appointed chief of the presi- dential office in January 2016. The appointments
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon
are seen as moves aimed at consolidating power in the Rahmon family for years to come.
Tajikistan held a national referendum on May 22 to approve amendments to the constitution that would allow Rahmon to establish a presidential dynasty. Preliminary results by the Central Com- mittee for Elections and Referendums showed that 94.7% of the Tajiks voted in favour of amend- ing the constitution.
The amendments will allow the Tajik president to run for re-election indefinitely and lower the presidential age limit to fit the current age of his eldest son, Rustam Emomali.
In December 2015, the authorities endorsed a bill that granted Rahmon and his relatives lifelong immunity from prosecution and gave Rahmon the title of “Leader of the Nation”.
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