Abduhalim Ghafforzoda, who headed the Socialist Party of Tajikistan (SPT) over the last twenty years, has left his post.
An extraordinary congress of the Socialist Party took place at the International University of Foreign Languages in Dushanbe on July.
Ghulom Halimzoda, the head of the SPT organization in the northern province of Sughd, was elected the leader of the Socialist Party, replacing Abduhalim Ghafforzoda.
Meanwhile, an official source within the Socialist Party says, “Abduhalim Ghafforzoda resigned from his position of his own free will, but did not explain the reason for his resignation.”
“He just said that as a result of many observations, they came to the conclusion that Ghulom Halimzoda should be elected the head of the SPT,” the source added.
Until now Halimzoda was little known in the country’s political circles. After his election, Ghulom Halimzoda reportedly thanked his supporters and asked Abduhalim Ghafforzoda to continue working as party adviser.
Founded in 1993, the Socialist Party of Tajikistan was registered on August 6, 1996. The party is divided in two factions: the pro-government faction led by Abduhalim Ghafforzoda and the faction led by Mirhusein Narziyev that is not recognized. Narziyev-led faction has practically broken up.
The party's founder, Safarali Kenjayev, was assassinated in Dushanbe in late March 1999 and the party has not been able to regroup since Kenjayev's death.
According to some sources, the Socialist Party of Tajikistan now has more than 21,000 members.
