DUSHANBE, October 2, Asia-Plus  -- A new handbook, published at the end of last week with the support of the OSCE, offers comprehensive and up-to-date information on Tajikistan’s political parties and their programmes.

The publication, “Political Parties of the Republic of Tajikistan – 2006,” outlines the platforms and programmes of Tajikistan’s eight registered political parties, as well as the legal background for their activities, and is available in Tajik, Russian and English.

“Active involvement of citizens in the political life of their country requires adequate knowledge of political platforms of all legally functioning political parties,” said Andrey Shugurov, Deputy Head of the OSCE Centre. “This handbook will allow a broader group of citizens to better understand the political environment in Tajikistan and to make a well-informed political choice when necessary.”

Karomatullo Olimov, Advisor to the Tajik President for Social Development and Public Relations, added: “The handbook will serve as a reference not only for members of political parties, but also for other interested persons and organizations. Its translation into Russian and English will promote better awareness about Tajikistan’s political parties among speakers of other languages.”

This is the third edition of the handbook, which has a circulation of 2,000 copies, since 2004.