DUSHANBE, November 1, Asia-Plus - The appeals court of Tajikistan’s Supreme Court has rejected appeal by Mirhusein Narziyev, the head of one of wings of the Socialist Party (SPT) against a decision of the Central Commission for Elections and Referenda (CCER) to register Abduhalim Ghafforov as the Socialist Party candidate for president, Aziza Gadoyev, a judge at the appeals court of the Supreme Court, told journalists in Dushanbe yesterday.  

Mirhusein Narziyev said in an a interview with Asia-Plus that he appealed to the court on October 11 asking to review the decision of the CCER to register Abduhalim Ghafforov as the SPT candidate for president.  In his appeal,  Narziyev said that a congress the Ghafforov-run wing of the SPT held its congress and nominate the candidate for president on September 16, that is 51 days before the election day.  “While under the country''s law on the presidential elections the parties should hold congress to nominate their candidates for president not earlier than 50 days before the election day,” said Narziyev, “Therefore nomination of Abduhalim Ghafforov as candidate for president is illegal.”  “However, the appeals court has rejected my appeal as “unfounded,” Narziyev said. 

According to him, the court’s ruling is politically motivated because the country’s authorities did not recognize him as the SPT leader.  

The Narziyev-run wing of the SPT held its congress on October 17, that is 50 days before the election day, and nominated Mirhusein Narziyev as its candidate for president.  However, the CCER refused his application for registration because the Ministry of Justice recognized Abduhalim Ghafforov as leader of the Socialist Party.