DUSHANBE, January 28, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- The Islamic Revival Party (IRPT) has filed suite against constituency # 4 in Dushanbe’s Sino district.

Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, the IRPT spokesman Hikmatullo Sayfullozoda said that the district electoral committee had refused to include their party representatives in electoral commissions at polling stations, “referring to the parliamentary election law, which does not provide for compulsory representation of all political parties in electoral commissions.”

“Pleading this, they refused to include our representatives in the electoral commissions, while this law does not prohibit representation of all political parties in the electoral commissions,” the spokesman said.  “Such a situation demonstrates once again shortcoming of our parliamentary election law.”  According to Sayfullozoda, they have also lodged an appropriate complaint to chairman of the Central Commission foe Elections and Referenda (CCER) Mirzoali Boltuyev.

We will recall that by-election to the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament) will be held in this constituency on February 11.

The by-election was called following appointment of Karimjon Qodirov, who formerly represented the Sino district in the parliament, as Chancellor of Kulob State University.  The ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDPT) nominated Amir Katayev, formerly Chancellor of Tajik Technological University, for the by-election and the IRPT fielded deputy head of the IRPT organization in Dushanbe Dodikhudo Abdyulloyev as its candidate.