Tajik Presidential Election Registration Starts

Tajik President Emomali Rahmon has led the country since 1992.

DUSHANBE -- Registration for Tajikistan's mid-November presidential election has officially started.

As of September 17, political parties and two national social organizations are allowed to forward candidates for the nation's top post.

The Tajik Association of Reformist Forces, a coalition of the Social Democratic Party and prominent public figures, has already announced it will support rights activist Oinihol Bobonazarova as its candidate.

The Islamic Renaissance Party, the country's largest opposition party, confirmed its support for Bobonazarova at a party congress on September 17.

Five other parties are still weighing the option of forwarding their own candidates. The country's biggest party -- the People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan -- is nominating incumbent President Emomali Rahmon, who has been the country's leader since 1992.

Candidates have 25 days to complete registration requirements.

The presidential election is scheduled for November 6. The official campaign period begins on October 6 and ends on November 5.


With reporting by Interfax