Presidential elections, scheduled to take place in Tajikistan on November 6, 1999, represent a critical stage in the process of consolidating peace and building lasting democratic institutions in Tajikistan.

We are disturbed by the problems with the election preparations which were highlighted recently by the protests of three potential presidential candidates and the subsequent decision of the supreme court not to register two of these candidates.

In the U.S. view, the large number of signatures required for registration of candidates, the short timeframe for gathering those signatures, and the advantages given to one party in the registration process clearly impeded opposition candidates' opportunities to compete in the presidential elections.

The irregularities in the registration process have caused us all to look closely at the involvement of the OSCE and ODIHR in the process of election monitoring.

The registration of one opposition candidate from the Islamic Renaissance Party does not fundamentally correct the serious flaws in the election process.

A decision on whether or not to participate in the elections is, of course, solely the responsibility of the Islamic renaissance party and its leadership.