DUSHANBE, December 28. 2009, Asia-Plus — The Democratic Party (DPT) led by Masoud Sobirov held its pre-election congress in Dushanbe on December 26.
Some 100 delegates from all regions of the country attended the congress that adopted that the party’s pre-election programs and confirmed the party list for the 2010 parliamentary elections.
Masoud Sobirov voluntarily resigned, but the congress reelected him as the party leader. Sobirov justified his decision to resign by saying that he had earlier promised to resign if two wings of the party unite.
The fact of the matter is that Marodasein Miraseinov, the head of the Mahmadruzi Iskandarov-led DPT organization in Gorno Badakhshan joined the Sobirov-run wing. The congress elected Miraseinov as the first deputy chairman of the DPT.
The congress confirmed the party list of nine candidates for the parliamentary election that will take place on February 28, 2010. Masoud Sobirov is at the top of the list. Besides, among the candidates on the list are Gurez Habibulloyev, Hamrokhon Safarov, Barot Maqsoudov, Hamdullo Malikov and Jumakhon Temoruzoda.
Speaking at the congress, Masoud Sobirov noted that financial opportunities of the party were enough to nominate only nine candidates for election to the parliament through a proportional, party list system from a single, countrywide constituency.
Founded on August 10, 1990 and registered on June 21, 1991, the DPT was banned by the Supreme Court on June 21 1993. It was reregistered on December 3 1999
At first, two factions laid claim to the Democratic Party of Tajikistan: the Almaty platform, which was registered in Tajikistan, and the Tehran platform. The Almaty platform was led by Mahmadruzi Iskandarov, who was sentenced to 23 years in prison on October 5, 2005. He was convicted on charges of terrorism, the embezzlement of state funds, and the illegal storage of weapons. The Tehran platform led by Azam Afzali then transformed itself into the Taraqqiyot Party.
The Democratic Party split after Masoud Sobirov formed a separate faction in April 2006, which the Ministry of Justice recognized as the official Democratic Party in October 2006, and at present there are three DPT factions run by Masoud Sobirov, Mahmadruzi Iskandarov and Saidjaffar Ismonov. The party congress held by Ismonov’s supporters on January 14, 2007, charged Masoud Sobirov with inaction and removed him. They elected Ismonov as leader of the party. But the Ministry of Justice noted that the January 14 congress was held in violation of the party”s charter and Tajik law and denied a request by Saidjaffar Ismonov to be recognized as the leader of the Democratic Party.
The Masoud-Sobirov-run DPT’s wing now reportedly has some 6,000 members.
