Tajikistan bans lavish weddings, funerals, promotion banquets

Moscow, Jun 9 (UNI) Tajik President Rakhmon has banned lavish weddings, funerals and promotion banquets in the country.

Rakhmon signed the law yesterday which the Tajik parliament had passed unanimously, Itar-Tass reported quoting the presidential press service.

The bill had been submitted to the parliament by the President.

Rakhmon said spending on such lavish events was brazen and shocking, adding the country spends around one billion dollars on them, a sum that exceeds the state budget of Tajikistan, one of the poorest countries in Central Asia.

The law limits weddings to a single day, imposes limits on the number of guests and forbids promotion banquets among other restrictions.

Under the law, violators will have to pay a fine from about 600 dollars to 2,900 dollars in the country which has an average monthly wage of 45 dollars.

Earlier, the Tajik leader outlawed gold teeth, criticized those carrying mobile phones and called on people to follow his suit and drop Russian-sounding endings "ov" or "ev" from their surnames.

UNI