DUSHANBE, June 3, Asia-Plus — Head of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan, Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin, met with representatives of the Sughd public associations and political parties at the OSCE field office in Khujand at the end of his tenure to Tajikistan, according to the OSCE Office in Tajikistan.
Heads and representatives of organizations of the Democratic (DPT), Social-Democratic (SDPT), People’s Democratic (DPDT), Islamic Revival (IRPT) and Communist (CPT) parties in the province as well as the public association, Civil Society Center, attended the meeting.
Political and economic situation in the country, in particular in Sughd province, were among major topics of the meeting, the source said.
Speaking at the meeting, Ambassador Pryakhin noted that Tajikistan and the country’s government have achieved a certain success in political and economic development in recent years. He also noted that he had familiarized himself with a joint appeal of the regional organizations of political parties to the president for making amendments to the country’s law “On Elections to the Majlisi Namoyandagon of the Majlisi Oli” in order to create equal opportunities for participation of all political parties in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
Representatives of the organizations of the mentioned political parties in Sughd pointed out serious shortcomings in the law, in particular the registration fee required by the parliamentary election code.
We will recall that the parliamentary election code requires candidates to pay a registration fee of 5,000 somoni.
Representatives of political parties in Sughd noted that the fee prevented candidates of many parties from running in parliamentary elections.
Leaders of political parties for Sughd also expressed hope for transparent holding of the next parliamentary elections in the country due in February 2010.
