Polls opened on Sunday in Tajikistan's parliamentary election, with the ruling People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan led by incumbent President Emomali Rakhmon expected to consolidate its power in the ex-Soviet republic's legislature.
The People's Democratic Party is the largest among the eight officially registered political parties in Tajikistan, numbering 85,000 members. The party currently holds 52 of the 63 seats in the parliament.
Rakhmon, who has ruled the impoverished Central Asian nation of 7.5 million for almost two decades, was re-elected leader of the People's Democratic Party in December 2009.
Rakhmon's eldest son, Rustam Emomali, believed to be his father's possible successor, is running for a deputy seat in the Dushanbe city council.
DUSHANBE, February 28 (RIA Novosti)
