Polls closed in ex-Soviet Tajikistan Sunday in a referendum on constitutional changes almost certain to strengthen the hold of long-time President Emomali Rakhmon and his family over the impoverished Central Asian state.
The country's electoral commission, which declared the vote valid, said some 88.3 percent of the roughly 4.3 million eligible voters had cast ballots by 1300 GMT. Polls closed at 1500 GMT.
The 63-year-old autocrat has ruled Tajikistan for nearly a quarter of a century, demonstrating what critics say is an increased disregard for religious freedoms, civil society and political pluralism in recent years.
Many residents of the near million-strong Tajik capital appeared enthusiastic in their support for Rakhmon, who led the country out of a five-year civil war that began in 1992, less than a year after independence. "Rakhmon brought us peace, he ended the war, and he should rule the country for as long as he has the strength to," 53-year-old voter Nazir Saidzoda told AFP. Other voters were more pessimistic about their leader's ability to pull the country of eight million out of economic difficulty and curb the rise of extremism in the volatile region. "Everything that is being done is for (the regime) to hold onto power for as long as possible," said 37-year-old Marifat Rakhimi.
"We are waiting for a better economy and the disappearance of corruption." The term limit amendment applies only to Rakhmon, owing to the "Leader of the Nation" status parliament voted to grant him last year, which also affords him and his family permanent immunity from criminal prosecution.