OSCE Centre helps ensure broad media coverage of Tajikistan presidential election campaign

DUSHANBE, 18 September 2006 - Providing balanced and diverse information on all presidential candidates and their campaigns to help voters make well-informed choices is the aim of an OSCE-sponsored online election portal launched today on the Asia Plus News Agency website.

"This project will give all candidates an equal opportunity to benefit from balanced coverage of their campaigns in the run-up to the 6 November presidential election," said Andrey Shugurov, Deputy Head of the OSCE Centre in Dushanbe. "It will also allow them to present their platforms and programmes to a broader range of the population."

Six correspondents in different regions of Tajikistan will contribute to the work of the online portal, which will also feature information on election laws and regulations.

Umed Babakhanov, the Head of the Asia Plus News Agency, added: "The online election portal will help raise the awareness of Tajik voters on election laws and encourage wider participation in the presidential election."

The project is part of the Organization's broader efforts to ensure that elections in all participating States are held in a free and fair way in line with OSCE commitments.

The election portal can be found at www.asiaplus.tj