BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

10/01/2008

Belarusian Presidential Administration Rejects Dialogue With Opposition

Anatol Lyabedzka, the leader of Belarus's United Civic Party and the co-chairman of the Political Council of United Pro-Democratic Forces, has said that the presidential administration has rejected the opposition's proposal to hold talks on the 2008 parliamentary elections, Belapan reported on January 9. The Belarusian opposition in early December proposed that the presidential administration consider joint proposals on conducting parliamentary elections in accordance with democratic standards. Natallya Pyatkevich, the administration's deputy head, replied earlier this month that the presidency does not deal with election issues. Lyabedzka described such a response as "very weird," because "a great many, if not most, bills submitted to the House of Representatives [the lower chamber of the Belarusian legislature] come from the presidential administration." AM

Source:

http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2008/01/3-cee/cee-100108.asp