DUSHANBE, November 29, 2012, Asia-Plus — Primary organizations of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan (DPT) in the provinces refuse to recognize Masoud Sobirov as the party leader.
Recently Democrats in Khatlon and Sughd province have announced their refusal to unite with the officially registered DPT run by Masoud Sobirov. Now, Democrats in Gorno Badakhshan have joined them.
Marod Mirasanov, head of DPT’s organization in Gorno Badakhshan says that Sobirov has never inquired about the party’s affairs in the region since he was elected the party leader. “We do not recognize Masoud Sobirov as the party leader any more and demand holding of an extraordinary congress of the party,” a statement released by DPT’s organization in Gorno Badakhshan said.
In this connection, an organizing committee for convocation of the extraordinary congress of the party, led by Mamlakat Jaychiyeva, will temporarily head the party.
Democrats in Sughd province and some primary organizations of the party in other regions of the country do not recognize Sobirov as the party leader and consider Mahmadruzi Iskandarov their leader.
The Democratic Party of Tajikistan can trace its origins back to the last days of the Soviet Union. Registered on June 21, 1991 and banned by the Supreme Court on June 21, 1993, the Democratic Party of Tajikistan was reregistered on December 3, 1999.
At the end of 1990s, two factions laid claim to the Democratic Party of Tajikistan: the Almaty platform led by Mahmadruzi Iskandarov and the Tehran platform run by Azam Afzali. The Tehran platform later transformed itself into the Taraqqiyot (Progress) Party.
On October 5, 2005, the Supreme Court sentenced DPT leader Mahmadruzi Iskandarov to 23 years in prison. The sentence followed his conviction on charges of terrorism, the embezzlement of state funds, and the illegal storage of weapons, though his supporters say he was jailed for political motives.
The party split into two factions again and the Ministry of Justice recognized Masoud Sobirov as the legitimate leader of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan in October 2006.
