KULOB, October 23, Asia-Plus -- Kulob Communists will not field their candidate in parliamentary by-election that will be held in Kulob constituency # 37 on December 16, 2007, Sharif Safarov, the first secretary of the organization of the Communist Party (CPT) for Kulob, said in an interview with Asia-Plus. 

“We have neither forces nor funds for this,” said Safarov.  “Besides, we do not believe that the election will be really fair and democratic.”   

However, two representatives from the CPT organization will participate in work of the electoral commission “in order to gain experience,” Safarov said.  

In the meantime, according to some unofficial sources, the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDPT) intends to field Lieutenant-General Abdurahmon Azimov, ex-chief of the Tajik border service, as its candidate in the parliamentary by-election in the Kulob constituency.  

We will recall that organization of the Masoud Sobirov-run Democratic Party (DPT) for Kulob has decided to field its candidate in parliamentary by-election in the Kulob constituency.  Hamrokhon Safarov, the head of the joint organization of the DPT for the city and the district of Kulob, said, “If the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDPT) conducts fair play, we have hope to win the by-election.”

The by-election in the Kulob constituency will be held in connection with death of Khumdin Sharipov, who represented the Kulob district in the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament).