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Opposition politicians in Mahilyow region discuss coming presidential elections

More than 70 representatives of opposition forces from nearly all of the Mahilyow region’s districts held a conference in the regional capital on Saturday to discuss the coming presidential elections.

The delegates also raised the subject of April’s local elections, acknowledging that opposition forces had failed to put on a united front ahead of the vote.

“We looked like lonely Don Quixotes rather than a single team,” said Yury Novikaw, chairman of the regional chapter of the Belarusian Free Trade Unions.

Valery Beraziyenka, of the Belarusian Party of the Left, said that the opposition was failing to campaign for transparent elections and raise the public’s awareness of vote fraud. He emphasized the importance of uniting opposition forces in the run-up to the presidential elections.

The delegates called for selecting a single opposition candidate in the elections.

Speaking at the conference, Yaraslaw Ramanchuk, deputy chairman of the United Civic Party and a presidential hopeful, predicted that the authorities would be stepping up pressure on opposition forces in the months leading up to the vote. He suggested drawing up different election strategies and picking one of them depending on how many opposition candidates would get access to the ballot.

“People do not think in terms of democracy and human rights. It is salary and material well-being that interest them,” Mr. Ramanchuk said.

The politician said that he was ready to cooperate with fellow opposition presidential bidders. //BelaPAN