RFE/RL's Belarusian Service reported on 9 August that leaders of the opposition Popular Coalition Five Plus - Belarusian Popular Front head Vintsuk Vyachorka, United Civic Party head Anatol Lyabedzka, Belarusian Social Democratic Party head Stanislau Shushkevich, Belarusian Party of Communists head Syarhey Kalyakin - want to run as candidates in the 17 October legislative elections. The nomination of candidates began on 8 August. Under Belarusian electoral law, candidates may be nominated by a party, through the collection of 1,000 signatures of eligible voters, or by the staff of a company that employs at least 300 people. Mikola Statkevich, leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Popular Assembly) from the opposition Coalition Free Belarus, will also run in the elections. Statkevich told RFE/RL that Free Belarus and Five Plus have not coordinated the fielding of candidates for the October elections, suggesting that opposition candidates might compete with each other in a number of constituencies.
15 august 2004
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