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Eight Candidates To Seek Belarusian Presidency


Opposition presidential candidate Alyaksandr Milinkevich in October (epa) 24 December 2005 -- Eight men have submitted documents in a bid to become candidates in Belarus's presidential election on 19 March.


Among those submitting papers to electoral authorities for yesterday's deadline was independent Alyaksandr Milinkevich, who was chosen in October to be the sole candidate of united opposition forces.


Other hopefuls who submitted papers include Valeriy Frolov, Alyaksandr Kozulin, Alyaksandr Voytovich, and Sergei Skrebets.


Incumbent President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who is seeking another term, and two other hopefuls -- Zenon Poznyak and Sergei Gaidukevich -- submitted their applications on 22 December.


Electoral authorities are expected to announce on 27 December which hopefuls have been registered. Those who get registered will then need to gather 100,000 voter signatures to be officially added to the ballot.


(ITAR-TASS/Reuters)

Video Roundtable On Belarus/Ukraine

Video Roundtable On Belarus/Ukraine


On December 8, 2005, RFE/RL and the Policy Association for an Open Society (PASOS) jointly conducted a roundtable discussion on issues relating to Belarus's post-Soviet transition. To view video of the roundtable, click here.

See also:

Belarus: Authorities 'Cleanse' Media Ahead Of 2006 Vote

Can Belarus's Opposition Unite To Challenge Lukashenka?

Belarus: The Slow-Boiling Dictatorship

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