The People's Republic of Tajikistan was an authoritarian state that existed from 26 December 1991 to 23 November 2006, with Bishkek serving as the capital. The country was formed as a result of the Dissolution of the Soviet Union, and a post-communist government ruled the country until its transformation into a liberal democracy in 2006. Varshasb Royanov was the president for over a decade, serving as the leader of the Communist Party of Tajikistan, the Agrarian Party of Tajikistan, and the People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan.
History[]
From People's Republic to presidential dictatorship[]
Flag of the Tajik SSR
The People's Republic of Tajikistan was founded on 26 December 1991, when the nation of Tajikistan seceded from the collapsing Soviet Union. The country was still governed by the Communist Party of Tajikistan, however, and it remained a communist "people's republic". In 1992, Tajikistan had a population of 1,310,000 people, with 43.4% of them supporting communism in the country. However, the Communist Party leadership sought to adapt to survive as the rest of the Eastern Bloc abandoned communism in favor of "post-communist" dictatorships, and President Varshasb Royanov became the leader of a presidential dictatorship as the result of the January 1992 Tajik presidential plebiscite.
Tajikistan embraced political reform under Royanov's government, advancing in the fields of healthcare, unemployment subsidies, workers' rights, and higher education. Taxes were raised on the wealthy, while middle- and lower-class people had to pay lower taxes. The country's economy improved under the socialist government of the People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan, surpassing the economic stability seen under the brief reign of the Agrarian Party of Tajikistan.
However, many people sought to implement democracy in the country, as did the government. In 1995, Tajikistan passed a new constitution that legitimized the government and began the transition to democracy. Eight years later, after President Royanov completed his second eight-year term in office, he declared that free elections would be held in two years, and the transition was completed by 23 November 2006. 23 November was the end of the People's Republic, as it transitioned from a post-communist presidential dictatorship into a liberal democracy.
That day, the 2007 Tajik presidential election began, and he campaigned for re-election as the PDPT candidate. The PDPT lost its majority of seats in the 2007 Tajik upper house elections, but it retained power in a coalition government with the Communist Party. In May 2007, the party won the election with 87% of the vote, and Royanov was re-elected as president, this time as a democratic one.