Pro-democratic Forces to name single presidential candidate in April 2010

The United Democratic Forces will name its presidential candidate in April 2010, Lew Marholin, head of a working group at Belarus’ major opposition coalition, told BelaPAN.

The coalition’s candidate will be selected by ordinary voters, not opposition politicians as was the case in the past, he said.
"Special commissions will wait for voters to turn out on dates known in advance. The contender who gets the biggest number of votes will become the single candidate," Mr. Marholin said.

The procedure of candidate selection is to be devised before September and a national commission for the registration of contenders is to be formed within a month afterward.

The politician said that a contender would have to gain at least 100,000 votes to become the single candidate. "He will have to collect the same number of signatures to get access to the ballot," he explained.

All contenders seeking to represent the coalition in the election must speak both Belarusian and Russian, issue a public statement on why Alyaksandr Lukashenka should be unseated and make a financial contribution to an information support fund.
The presidential election will take place either in late 2010 or early 2011.