BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

2005-10-03 02:36:59

Belarussian opposition backs independent candidate for presidential race

www.chinaview.cn

MOSCOW, Oct. 2 (Xinhuanet) -- Belarussian opposition parties united Sunday to back an independent candidate in next year's presidential election.

At a conference in Minsk, capital of Belarus, leading opposition parties and non-government organizations voted to support Alexander Milinkevich as their single candidate in the presidential race in 2006, Russian news agencies reported.

Milinkevich, 58, is not affiliated with any party in Belarus but heads the Ratusha non-government organization and a program that promotes local development. He has been a scholar and teacher for most of his life.

The opposition also urged President Alexander Lukashenko not to seek re-election and called on the authorities to guarantee its role in election commissions at all levels, cancel early voting and broaden voters' rights.

Milinkevich stressed Belarus' ties with Russia after he won backing for his presidential bid.

"Relations with Russia are very important for us. Russia is our strategic partner with which we have inseparable ties," Milinkevich told a new conference, according to the Interfax news agency. Enditem

Source:

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-10/03/content_3576975.htm

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