DUSHANBE , April 5, Asia-Plus - Nineteen members of Tajikistan Democratic Party (Party) intend to create a faction “Vatan” (Homeland), DPT deputy head, Rahmatullo Valiyev, remarked at a briefing in Dushanbe today. 

These nineteen members of the party announced their intention to establish the faction in the DPT at a meeting with journalists on April 4.  Yesterday, speaking to journalists, one of initiators of the establishment of the faction, Masoud Sobirov justified their decision to establish the faction by saying that the party’s leadership made numerous mistakes, as a result of which the party’s candidates had failed to take seats in the country’s parliament during the last parliamentary elections.  Mr. Sobirov also noted that they recognized the party’s leadership but in future they intend to demand convocation of extraordinary congress of the party.  

In the meantime, Mr. Valiyev told the news conference today that according to Rules of the DPT, the party members have the right to form faction if their platform is signed by 10 percent of a total number of the party members.  Only after that, according to him, the faction may be registered with the central board of the party and recognized as valid.  

“We have received a letter about intention to form the faction “Vatan” signed by 19 persons, but only seven of them are real members of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan,” Mr. Valiyev noted.  According to him, the possibility of out-of-party forces attempting to cause split in the party cannot be ruled out.  “At the same time, I believe that this association will never become the beginning of the split in the party,” the DPT deputy head stressed.  

The Democratic Party of Tajikistan was founded in August 1990 and re-registered in December 1999.  It has 4,500 members.  In October 2005, the DPT leader, Mahmadruzi Iskandarov, was sentenced to 23 years’ imprisonment.  The sentence followed his conviction on charges of terrorism, the embezzlement of state funds, and the illegal possession of weapons.