KHOROG, February 9, 2010, Asia-Plus — Heavy snowfall and risk of avalanches have seriously affected holding of pre-election agitation campaign in Gorno Badakhshan, Alim Sherzamonov, head of regional organization of the Social-Democratic Party (PDPT) in Gorno Badakhshan, and Sirojiddin Kalonov, head of the organization of the Islamic Revival Party (IRPT) in the region, remarked at a news conference in Khorog on February 8.
According to Sherzamonov, they failed to hold meetings with voters in the Vanqala jamoat in the Shugnan district and voters in the Murgab district because of ongoing heavy snowfalls.
The same situation is in the Vanj district, noted Kalonov. “Because of heavy snowfalls the IRPT candidate Mamadrahim Kuzov failed to meet with residents of remote villages in the upper Vanj and voters in the Rushan district,” said the IRPT organization. “The other area difficult of access is the Saghirdasht jamoat in the Darvoz district. To meet with voters in Saghirdasht we decided to travel to Dushanbe via Kulob and from there to Saghirdasht via the Tavildara district. However, we failed to meet with them because of heavy snowfalls and had to return.”
Sherzamonov and Kalonov reminded that their parties had proposed to reschedule the 2010 parliamentary elections and to postpone the February elections until April. The parties had pointed out that severe weather conditions and an energy shortage as big obstacles for the election campaign. “However, our proposal was rejected,” Sherzamonov and Kalonov noted.
Head of the regional organization of the Communist Party (CPT) in Gorno Badakhshan, Khusrav Raqamov, agreed that heavy snowfalls have affected the election campaign in the region. “However, our party has representatives in jamoats and if our candidates fails to travel to remote areas, our representatives will meet with voters there to acquaint them with our pre-lection program,” Raqamov said.
