The Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRP; Tajik: Ҳизби Наҳзати Исломии Тоҷикистон Hizbi Nahzati Islomii Tojikiston; also known as the Islamic Renaissance of Tajikistan, the Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan, the Islamic Party of Revival, or simply the Islamic Renaissance Party) is an Islamist political party in Tajikistan. It is the only legal Islamist party in Central Asia.[1] The group was founded in 1990. In 1992, the party hosted a conference in Saratov, Russia, attended by Islamists from ex-Soviet central Asia, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan. When Tajikistan became independent, it was banned in 1993, and fought with the United Tajik Opposition and the Garmi people against the government during the Tajik Civil War, but re-legalised following peace accords in 1998. In 1999 it was the second largest party in Tajikistan. At the last legislative elections, 27 February and 13 March 2005, the party won 8% of the popular vote and 2 out of 63 seats.
The IRP's long-running leader, Said Abdullo Nuri, died in August 2006 of cancer. The party boycotted the 2006 Presidential election.
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