DUSHANBE, September 18, 2013, Asia-Plus -- The Socialist Party of Tajikistan (SPT) has nominated its leader Abduhalim Ghafforov to run in the upcoming presidential election.

SPT held its pre-election congress on September 18 and all 78 delegates of the congress unanimously voted for Abduhalim Ghafforov.

Founded in 1993, the Socialist Party of Tajikistan was registered with the Ministry of Justice on August 6, 1996.  The party’s founder, Safarali Kenjayev, was assassinated in Dushanbe in late March 1999.  The party has not been able to regroup since Kenjayev’s death.  It received less than two percent of the votes cast in the 2000 parliamentary elections.

In 2002, the SPT board elected Mirhusein Narziyev to head the party.  In 2004, SPT was divided into two factions: the faction led by Mirhusein Narziyev and the faction led by Abduhalim Ghafforov.  According to Abduhalim Ghafforov, SPT now has some 19,000 members.

We will recall that campaigning for Tajikistan''s presidential election has officially started and as of September 17, political parties and two national social organizations are reportedly allowed to forward their candidates for the presidency.  Candidates reportedly have 25 days to complete registration requirements.

The presidential election is scheduled for November 6.

To-date, four candidates have been nominated to run in the 2013 presidential election: Mr. Abduhalim Ghafforov (SPT); Mr. Tolibek Bukhoriyev (the Agrarian Party of Tajikistan (APT); Mr. Saidjaffar Ismonov (the Democratic Party of Tajikistan (DPT); and Ms. Oynihol Bobonazarova (the Tajik Association of Reformist Forces (TARF).