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Opposition organizations drawing up preliminary lists of parliamentary hopefuls

 
Opposition organizations are drawing up preliminary lists of contenders for this year’s elections for the House of Representatives.

The Belarusian Popular Front has announced that 45 people have expressed readiness to run in the elections on its behalf, including the party’s Chairman Alyaksey Yanukevich and Deputy Chairman Ryhor Kastusyow.

There are more than 30 people on the «Tell the Truth!» movement’s list of parliamentary contenders. They include the movement’s leaders Tatsyana Karatkevich and Andrey Dzmitryyew. According Ms. Karatkevich, who was on the ballot in last year’s presidential election, people of different political convictions and affiliations are expected to run in the parliamentary race as the movement’s representatives.

A spokesperson for the United Civic Party told BelaPAN that the party was still working on its list of parliamentary aspirants and did not know how long it would be.

Vital Rymashewski, co-chairman of Belarusian Christian Democracy, said that the party had more than 30 local leaders who could become its parliamentary candidates.

The Movement for Freedom’s list of hopefuls included 36 people at the end of last month. Among them were the organization’s First Deputy Chairman Yury Hubarevich and Deputy Chairman Ales Lahvinets.

The Movement for Freedom, the United Civic Party and Belarusian Christian Democracy are expected to draw up a common list of parliamentary hopefuls.

Some 20 activists of the Hramada Belarusian Social Democratic Party have announced an intention to run in the House of Representatives elections. They include Aleh Trusaw, chairperson of the Francisak Skaryna Belarusian Language Society; Mechyslaw Hryb, a former speaker of the Supreme Soviet (parliament) of Belarus; and human rights defender Aleh Volchak.

About 60 people have been included in the list of the parliamentary hopefuls of the «Spravedlivy Mir» (Just World) Belarusian Party of the Left. Among the potential candidates is the party’s chairman, Syarhey Kalyakin.

Aleh Haydukevich, first deputy chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party, told reporters on December 22 that the party had already finished training 110 potential contenders and would continue adding names to its list. The party will have three or four contenders per electoral district by its convention, scheduled for the end of spring, Mr. Haydukevich said. Participants at the convention will narrow the list down to the strongest figures, he said.

Belarus’ next House of Representatives elections are to be held no later than September 11. The country is expected to have 110 electoral districts.