QURGHON TEPPA, October 15, 2012, Asia-Plus — A meeting of representatives of two wings of the Democratic Party (DPT) in Khatlon province took place in Qurghon Teppa, the capital of Khatlon province on October 13.
The meeting participants decided to reunite the Mahmadruzi Iskandarov-run party and the DPT wing run by Masoud Sobirov.
Ms. Gulnora Ghoziyeva, the chairperson of the organization of the Isknadarov-run DT for Khatlon, says the meeting discussed the current situation in the party “and they decided to reunite the two wings.” “They also demand the convocation of the extraordinary congress of the party for the purpose of reuniting its wings,” she noted.
Mr. Hamrokhon Safarov, the chairman of Sobirov-run wing of the party in the Kulob region, says, “The current situation in the party has forced us to gather at one table to decide the further fate of the party.”
“The current leadership of the party has failed to stabilize the situation within the party and reunite all its members,” said Safarov. “We are not satisfied with work of Masoud Sobirov and we also vote for convocation of the extraordinary congress of the party in order to resolve all the problems facing our party.”
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.
