Tajikistan president re-elected

Rakhmon has increased the number and length of his terms by revising the constitution [EPA]Tajikistan's electoral commission says the president has won re-election in a landslide victory.

Emomali Rakhmon, 61, has won 83.6% of the vote, commission spokesman Adumanon Dodayev said. The president's closest competitor trailed with only 5%.

Mr Rakhmon, who has ruled this Central Asian nation for more than two decades, faced only token opposition - one vocal rights activist, Oinihol Bobonazarova, was denied registration for the elections on technical grounds.

The government has drawn criticism for its crackdown on dissent and its tight grip on the media.

Tajikistan, which borders China and Afghanistan, has proven a strategically important ally for the US and Russia and has allowed coalition troops and cargo to travel to and from Afghanistan over its territory.

independent.ie