You're reading: CIS observers praise Tajikistan elections

Dushanbe, March 1 (Interfax) - The monitoring mission of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) has praised Tajikistan's parliamentary elections, which were held onFeb. 28,CIS Executive Secretary Sergei Lebedev said.

"The elections were free and transparent, and voting fully complied with the national election legislation. The election proceeded in a democratic setting," Lebedev told the press on Monday.

"Our 160-member mission visited polling stations in Dushanbe and in the Khatlon district [in southern Tajikistan], and it registered individual irregularities which, however, will not influence the final result," he said.

"The election guaranteed citizens’ free choice and demonstrated further successes in strengthening democracy in Tajikistan," Lebedev said.

Tajikistan’s opposition parties earlier complained about "mass" election abuses.