Tajikistan presidential election kicks off

Dushanbe - Presidential election has kicked off in Tajikistan wednesday morning, with six candidates running for presidency.

Voters arrived at poll stations as early as 6:00 am to participate in the election.

The six candidates running for presidency are incumbent president Emomali Rahmon, veteran politician from People's Democratic Party, Alim Babayev from the Economic Reform Party, Talibek Buhariyev from the Agrarian Party, Abduhalim Gaffarov from the Socialist Party, Saidcafar Ismanov from the Democratic Party and Ismail Talbakov from the Communist Party.

Preliminary results are expected on Thursday.

According to the electoral law of Tajikistan, each candidate must garner the signature of more than 5 percent of the total registered voters in order to qualify as a candidate. Oinihol Bobonazarova from the Union of Reformist Forces failed to collect enough signatures and withdrew from the election in October.

Tajikistan has passed a constitutional amendment in 2003 which rules that a single presidential term should be 7 years, and the incumbent president may enter a second term.