DUSHANBE, September 23 (RIA Novosti) - Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov has been nominated as candidate for presidential elections that will be held November 6, 2006, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported Saturday.

In late August, both houses of Tajikistan's parliament unanimously approved a resolution to hold presidential elections in the Central Asian republic on November 6.

The tenure of incumbent President Emomali Rakhmonov, 53, expires on November 6, seven years after his last election as head of state in the Central Asian country.

The nomination was made by the ruling People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan at its congress in the republic's capital. All 1,904 congress delegates voted for Rakhmonov, who is the leader of the PDP.

Rakhmonov thanked the delegates for the nomination and said that presidential elections in Tajikistan should be competitive.

"The presidential elections should be genuine, truly contested or they will not be legitimate," he said.

Last week, the Socialist Party, the Agrarian Party and the Party of Economic Reform nominated their presidential candidates.

Later today the Communist Party of Tajikistan will hold a congress to nominate its candidate.

The Democratic Party and the Social-Democratic Party of Tajikistan will hold their nomination caucuses Sunday.

Rakhmonov was brought to power by a nationwide vote in 1994, for a term of five years. A national referendum was held in September 1999, which extended his term to seven years.

In June 2003, another referendum was called in Tajikistan, which amended the Constitution to authorize the president to hold office for a further two seven-year terms.