DUSHANBE, October 13, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- Shokirjon Hakimov, the deputy leader of the Social-Democratic Party (SDPT), told Asia-Plus today that their party plans to field its candidates in the parliamentary elections due in February 2010.

According to him, the SDPT will nominate not only its members as candidates for the parliament, it will also nominate unaffiliated persons, worthy representatives of intelligentsia, including economists and lawyers.

“We are currently conducting negotiations with these persons and if they agree we will put their names on our party list and nominate them as candidates in single-mandate constituencies,” Mr. Hakimov said, noting that the SDPT is making serious preparations for the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Founded in 2002, the Social-Democratic Party was registered on December 20, 2002.  The chairman of the party is Rahmatillo Zoirov.

The Social-Democratic Party was originally registered as the party of Justice and Development in 1999.  Tajikistan''s Ministry of Justice requested the same year that the Supreme Court ban the party''s activities and its registration was canceled.  The party re-emerged and was registered under its current name in late 2002