KHUJAND, February 18, 2015, Asia-Plus -- Women reportedly constitute more than one-third of candidates running for election to the Sughd legislature (Majlis).

According to data from the Sughd regional electoral commission, 182 candidates for the Sughd local council have been registered and 62 of them are women.

“97 candidates have been nominated by political parties and 85 others are self-propelled candidates,” an official source at the Sughd regional electoral commission told Asia-Plus in an interview.

Of eight political parties officially functioning in the country, only the Social-Democratic Party did not nominate its candidates for the Sughd legislature.

Of 182 registered candidates, 159 are ethnic Tajiks and 23 are ethnic Uzbeks, the source said.

168 candidates have higher education, one candidate has incomplete higher education, five candidates have secondary education, and eight candidates have secondary special education.

Eleven candidates are people under the age of 35, 19 candidates are people aged 35 to 40, 64 candidates are people aged 41 to 50, 80 candidates are people aged 51 to 60, and eight candidates are people over 60.