United Civic Party to suggest another Congress of Pro-democratic Forces

The United Civic Party plans to propose holding another Congress of Pro-democratic Forces, Anatol Lyabedzka, chairman of the party, told BelaPAN.

The party will ask the other members of the United Pro-democratic Forces (UPF) and also the Movement for Freedom, which has recently initiated a "Pro-European Congress," and the European Coalition, which plans to hold a "Congress for a European Choice," to consider this proposal, Mr. Lyabedzka said.

"Instead of two pro-European congresses, we could hold a new, third Congress of Pro-democratic Forces," he said.
One should not give up what proved efficient in the past, he noted.

Held in October 2005, the first Congress of Pro-democratic Forces resulted in naming Alyaksandr Milinkevich opposition parties’ common candidate for the 2006 presidential election. Participants at the second congress, held in May 2007, voted for the introduction of co-chairmanship in the UPF Political Council.

"I think that pro-democratic forces should return to the old congress format that included the evaluation of the opposition coalition's performance and a search for common ground," Mr. Lyabedzka said. "The congress would allow all the problems to be considered in a comprehensive way and not separately."

The congress could be held in early fall, he noted.