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Left-wing forces may field single candidate in 2015 presidential election

Belarusian left-wing forces may field a single candidate in the 2015 presidential election, Syarhey Kalyakin, leader of the "Spravedlivy Mir" (Just World) Belarusian Party of the Left, said at a round-table conference in Minsk on Friday.

He suggested that left-wing forces should decide soon whether they should be represented by a single candidate in the election.

Many Belarusians do not trust Alyaksandr Lukashenka but see no alternative to him and are unaware of what pro-democratic forces propose, according to Mr. Kalyakin. "I believe the left have the biggest chances of offering an alternative to people," he said.

He called on left-wing forces to "analyze their stance and get down to drawing up a plan of joint action." "We need to communicate to people what we want to do, so that they understand that it will help solve their problems," the politician said.

Mr. Kalyakin urged left-wing forces to field a single list of contenders in next year's local elections.

Cooperation between Belarusian left-wing forces should extend beyond political parties and involve independent labor unions and other NGOs, said Mr. Kalyakin. //BelaPAN