DUSHANBE, June 15, Asia-Plus -- Representatives from political parties of Tajikistan met with visiting representatives from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) at the Tajik Academy of Sciences in Dushanbe Wednesday evening.  

Mr. Rahmatullo Valiyev, deputy leader of Tajikistan’s Democratic Party (DPT), has told Asia-Plus that the meeting participants discussed plans of political parties in connection with the upcoming presidential election due in November this year. 

Participants at the meeting, in particular, considered the RT Law “On the Election of the President.”  “It was noted that that this law does not meet standards of the OSCE,” said Mr. Valiyev, “OSCE Lawyer Consul Noke Temz [phonetically spelled] expressed concern about conviction and sentencing of the DPT leader Mahmadruzi Iskandarov ahead of such an important political event in the country.” 

To date, eight political parties have been officially registered with the Ministry of Justice – People’s Democratic Party (PDPT), Communist Party (CPT), Islamic Revival Party (IRPT), Democratic Party (DPT), Social-Democratic Party (SDPT), Socialist Party (SPT), Party of Economic Reforms and the Agrarian Party (APT).  

The People''s Democratic Party is the biggest political party in Tajikistan.  Its chairman is President Emomali Rahmonov.  The PDPT has nearly 80-percent majority in parliament.

We will recall that in the fall of 2005 the SDPT embarked on consultations with the Democratic Party and the Islamic Revival Party about the possibility of fielding a single candidate in the presidential election.  However, the IRPT announced in February this year that it would run its own candidate in the November presidential election.