DUSHANBE, November 3, 2014, Asia-Plus — More than 440 residents of the northern Sughd province have joined the Agrarian Party of Tajikistan (APT) during its deputy head Rustam Latifzoda’s visit to the province, APT’s head office in Dushanbe reports.
APT’s districts organizations have reportedly been created in the Jabborrasoulov and Kuhistoni Mastchoh districts.
The party’s district organizations are expected to hold conferences this month to elect delegates for the 6th congress of the APT scheduled for December 18 this year.
The congress will determine a party list of candidates for the 2015 parliamentary elections. The party plans to increase the number of its representatives in the Majlisi Namoyandagon and local legislatures.
The Agrarian Party of Tajikistan (APT) is the brainchild of its first chairman Amir Qaraqulov. The first deputy head of the party, Rustam Latifzoda, who is also chairman of the Vose district in Khatlon province, was elected acting chairman of the Agrarian Party in March this year after Amir Qaraqulov’s death.
The Agrarian Party of Tajikistan was registered with the Ministry of Justice in November 2005. Like the Party of Economic Reforms that was also registered with the Ministry of Justice in November 2005, the Agrarian Party is seen as a “pocket party.” In 2010, the APT won two seats in the Majlisi Namoyandagon.
According to some sources, the APT now has some 30,000 members. The majority of APT”s members are farmers and peasants, but the upper echelon are agriculture specialists.
The AP has no clear ideological outline, and mainly focuses on the issue of agricultural production. The party advocates for a halt in export of raw materials from Tajikistan, and for the country to switch to the production and export of finished products.
