Tajik president says pushing democracy is dangerous unless nation is

DUSHANBE, April 29 (Itar-Tass) - Tajikistan's President Emomali
Rakhmon said on Friday pushing democratic processes in the country is a
dangerous thing when its society is not ready for such reforms.
"Democracy is a process, which cannot be pushed unless the nation is
ready for it, Rakhmon told the republic's Public Council he has been
heading since 1996. "We are at the beginning of this road."
"Never denying the experience of the Western democracies, Tajikistan
will build its democratic society with due account of national traditions
and mentality," he stressed.
Speaking about the Public Council, the Tajik president noted that "it
was created in conditions when the republic still lived through a period
of civil confrontation." "The Council and the basic political document -
the Treaty on Public Accord - were aimed to consolidate all political
forces in the country, to take it out of the political, economic and
social crisis," he said.
He also spoke about the current political and socio-economic situation
in the country and stressed that it was necessary "to consolidate national
unity, to heighten political vigilance," since "Tajikistan has both many
friends and many foes."
Tajikistan's Public Council is comprised of representatives from a
number of political parties, public associations, ethnic communities, and
civil society institutions. Meanwhile, the Party of Tajikistan's Islamic
Revival and Democratic Party of Tajikistan have recently announced their
intention to withdraw from the council saying its activity was inefficient
and had nothing to do with public moods in society. Apart from it, the
opposition Social-Democratic Party of Tajikistan has never been member of
the council.