Tajikistan moves to prohibit government interference in official statistics

Tajikistan’s lower house of parliament, Majlisi Namoyandagon, has passed a new law aimed at protecting the independence of the country’s statistical authorities and preventing unlawful interference by government bodies and officials. The legislation also introduces electronic reporting, expands access to administrative data and establishes a unified national system of official statistics. The Majlisi Namoyandagon approved the law “On Official Statistics” on October 21, according to the parliamentary newspaper Sadoi Mardum . The government-sponsored legislation will replace the existing Law “On State Statistics,” adopted in January 2010. The new law consists of six chapters and 29 articles.

Government interference in statistics to be prohibited One of the key provisions of the new law is a ban on unlawful interference by government bodies and officials in the professional activities of statistical authorities. Jamshed Nurmahmadzoda, director of the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan, told lawmakers that the provision is intended to safeguard the independence and impartiality of official statistics. He said statistical indicators must be calculated in accordance with scientific and professional standards, without outside influence. The legislation also establishes principles of objectivity, reliability, transparency, accessibility and confidentiality, while strengthening the protection of personal and corporate data. Why is “state statistics” being renamed “official statistics”? According to Nurmahmadzoda, the change reflects a broader reform of how statistical information is collected, processed and published in Tajikistan. While the previous legislation focused primarily on statistical authorities, the new law establishes a national system of…