Belarusian opposition leader Alyaksandr Milinkevich has said he won't participate in presidential elections in December because the future victory of the incumbent is widely seen as a foregone conclusion.
President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who has run Belarus since 1994, has strongly indicated he will seek a fourth term in office in the December 19 election.
Speaking at a press conference today, Milinkevich acknowledged that Belarus's opposition was fractured and had failed to field a common candidate.
But he said he would still participate in the campaign by supporting pro-European opposition candidates.
On September 16, Lukashenka called the opposition "enemies of the people."
Milinkevich ran in the 2006 election, in which Lukashenka was reelected by a landslide.
Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said the vote failed to meet democratic standards.
compiled from RFE/RL Belarus Service and agency reports
President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who has run Belarus since 1994, has strongly indicated he will seek a fourth term in office in the December 19 election.
Speaking at a press conference today, Milinkevich acknowledged that Belarus's opposition was fractured and had failed to field a common candidate.
But he said he would still participate in the campaign by supporting pro-European opposition candidates.
On September 16, Lukashenka called the opposition "enemies of the people."
Milinkevich ran in the 2006 election, in which Lukashenka was reelected by a landslide.
Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said the vote failed to meet democratic standards.
compiled from RFE/RL Belarus Service and agency reports