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Opposition forces may abandon idea of common list of candidates for parliamentary elections

The member organizations of the “coalition of the six” have decided to postpone discussing a common list of candidates for September’s House of Representatives elections, Alyaksey Yanukevich, chairman of the Belarusian Popular Front (BPF), said at a meeting of the BPF Soym (Council) on Saturday.

Apart from the BPF, the coalition of the six includes the United Civic Party, the "Spravedlivy Mir" (Just World) Belarusian Party of the Left, Belarusian Christian Democracy, the "Tell the Truth!" movement and the Movement for Freedom.

According to Mr. Yanukevich, the member organizations have agreed to decide first on what conditions the authorities should meet for the coalition not to withdraw its candidates. “For the time being, a common list of candidates is not a top priority,” Mr. Yanukevich said. “Even having several pro-democracy candidates in a district is possible. The most important thing is that they should act for the good of democratic values.”

“Given the current circumstances, there is no need for a common list of candidates,” said BPF Deputy Chairman Ihar Lyalkow. “Each candidate should pledge to say that there can be no proper elections in Belarus under the present circumstances. The more candidates are fielded with such a message, the more successful our campaign will be.”

Mr. Yanukevich also said that the Belarusian authorities would hardly take any steps to democratize the election process. Evidence of this is the prison sentence imposed Friday on Vitsyebsk opposition activist Syarhey Kavalenka, he said, adding that the sentencing of Mr. Kavalenka should be viewed in the context of the forthcoming parliamentary elections. “This is a signal that the authorities will not allow the opposition to freely campaign during the elections,” Mr. Yanukevich said. “The authorities’ talks with European officials, which have been much talked of lately, will hardly change the regime’s strategy regarding the elections.” //BelaPAN