DUSHANBE, December 28, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- Suhrob Sharipov, representative of the ruling People’s Democratic Party, who won a December 18 parliamentary by-election in Dushanbe’s Shohmansour district was elected as member of the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament) Committee on International Affairs, Public Associations and Information.

Besides, Ubaidullo Davlatov was elected to head the Majlisi Namoyandagon Committee on State Construction and Local Government.

We will recall that four persons, including Mr. Abduhalim Gafarov, Chairman of the Socialist Party of Tajikistan (SPT), Mr. Abduqahhor Tursunov, Vice-Chancellor of Tajik Technical University, Mr. Suhrob Sharipov, representative of the People’s Democratic Party of Tajikistan (PDP), and Mr. Suhrob Oymahmadov, representative of the Party of Economic Reforms of Tajikistan, ran in the December 18 parliamentary by-election.  The seat was previously occupied by Safarali Rajabov, who died in October.

Suhrob Sharipov, formerly director of the Center for Strategic Studies under the President of Tajikistan, won 78.82 percent of the vote, with Gafarov, Tursunov and Oymahmadov garnering just 5.97, 5.68 and 6.11 percent 2 percent of the vote respectively.