In Dushanbe on May 11, an extraordinary congress of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan took place, where the activities of the party leader Saidjafar Usmonzoda over the past two years were discussed.
According to the conclusion of the political council of the DPT, the party's activities during the period of 2022-2024 were deemed unsatisfactory, and it was proposed to make changes to the party's leadership.
The congress participants nominated three candidates for the position of party chairman - Shahbozi Abror, Jabbor Yuldoshev, and Ilyasiddin Saidjafarov. The latter withdrew his candidacy.
Out of 94 delegates, 64 voted for Shahbozi Abror and 8 for Jabbor Yuldoshev.
Usmonzoda did not participate in the congress, and his reaction to the voting results is currently unknown, as reported by Radio Ozodi.
As a result of the open voting, Shahbozi Abror was elected as the chairman of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan.
Saidjafar Usmonzoda ran for the presidency of Tajikistan twice - in 2013 and 2020, but according to the Central Election Commission, he did not garner the required number of votes. Some experts claimed that the decision to participate in the presidential races was made to give the elections a legitimate character.
In the parliamentary elections of 2015 and 2020, Usmonzoda was elected as a deputy of the Majlisi Namoyandagon, the lower house of the country's parliament.
After the signing of the peace agreement in Tajikistan, the party was led by Mukhammadrust Iskandarov. Shortly after Iskandarov's arrest at the end of 2006, the Ministry of Justice of Tajikistan recognized Masud Sobirov as the new chairman of the DPT.
At that time, the Demparty was divided into two factions led by Saidjafar Usmonzoda (Ismonov) and Rakhmatullo Valiev.
In 2013, after a month-long inspection and review of the DPT documents, the Ministry of Justice registered a new Charter of the party and officially recognized Saidjafar Usmonzoda as the chairman of the party.
Former Democrats accuse Usmonzoda of turning the DPT into a "pocket" party.
The Democratic Party of Tajikistan, as claimed by its leaders, has over 80,000 members.
