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Minsk region's opposition politicians call on Lukashenka not to stand for reelection

The Minsk region's opposition politicians, at their August 29 conference, adopted an appeal urging Alyaksandr Lukashenka to drop his plans to stand for reelection in the coming presidential vote, as quoted by BelaPAN.

The conference was attended by members of the Belarusian Party of the Left, the United Civic Party, the Belarusian Popular Front, the Belarusian Social Democratic Party "Hramada," the organizing committees for the Belarusian Party of Working People and the Nadzeya Women's Party, as well as a number of non-governmental organizations and trade unions.

In their appeal, the politicians noted that Mr. Lukashenka's policies had driven Belarus into a deep economic, political and social crisis and the incumbent leader could not offer any solutions.

According to the opposition activists, Belarus needs a new leader who would enjoy trust and respect from Belarusian voters and foreign governments and be capable of steering the economy out of the crisis and breathing hope into the country's society.

The politicians urged Mr. Lukashenka to put the interests of the Belarusian people above his political ambitions and leave the office after the election.

They also called on government officials to secure a fair and open presidential election that would be free of vote rigging and pressure on opposition contenders.