DUSHANBE , June 14, Asia-Plus - Representatives from political parties of Tajikistan are meeting with visiting U.S. congressmen at the Tajik Academy of Sciences in Dushanbe today evening.  

According to the source, the meeting is aiming to discuss plans of political parties in connection with the upcoming presidential election due in November this year.  

To date, eight political parties have been officially registered with the Ministry of Justice – People’s Democratic Party (PDPT), Communist Party (CPT), Islamic Revival Party (IRPT), Democratic Party (DPT), Social-Democratic Party (SDPT), Socialist Party (SPT), Party of Economic Reforms and the Agrarian Party (APT).  

The People''s Democratic Party is the biggest political party in Tajikistan.  Its chairman is President Emomali Rahmonov.  The PDPT has nearly 80-percent majority in parliament.

We will recall that in the fall of 2005 the SDPT embarked on consultations with the Democratic Party and the Islamic Revival Party about the possibility of fielding a single candidate in the presidential election.  However, the IRPT announced in February this year that it would run its own candidate in the November presidential election.