Uzbek social democrats to nominate party leader as presidential candidate
TASHKENT. Jan 16 (Interfax) - Uzbekistan's Justice Social Democratic Party (Adolat) has decided to partipate in the presidential election scheduled for March 29, a party spokesperson told Interfax on Friday.
On Friday the party's central board backed a proposal to nominate its chairman Narimon Umarov as the party's candidate for Uzbek presidency, the spokesperson said.
At present, the Adolat party, which has existed since 1995, numbers around 90,000 members.
Umarov was born in 1952. In 1974 he graduated from the Tashkent Polytechnic Institute. He holds a PhD in geological and mineralogical sciences.
Umarov worked as chairman of a state committee for environment protection. He has chaired the Adolat's central board since 2013.
Following the parliamentary elections last December, Umarov was elected to the lower house and was formally registered as the leader of the Adolat faction and elected as Deputy Speaker.
It was reported earlier that two parties had announced plans to take part in the election campaign: the Liberal Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (LDPU), which is planning to nominate the incumbent head of state, Islom Karimov, and the People's Democratic Party of Uzbekistan, which is planning to nominate its leader Khatamzhon Ketomonov as its presidential candidate.
Presently, there are four political parties in Uzbekistan: the Movement of Business People and Entrepreneurs (UzLiDeP aka the Liberal Democratic Party of Uzbekistan), the National Revival Democratic Party, the People's Democratic Party and the Social Democratic Party (Adolat).
The Uzbekistan presidential election is due on March 29, the election campaign began on December 26, 2014.