30 April 2007
Opposition starts regional conferences of activists as part of preparations for Congress of Pro-democratic Forces
Opposition groups on April 19 started holding regional conferences of delegates to the Second Congress of Pro-democratic Forces preliminarily scheduled for May 26 and 27.
According to the organizing committee for the Congress, such conferences are to be held on April 29 in the Minsk and Homyel regions, on May 4 in the city of Minsk, on May 6 in the Hrodna region, on May 12 in the Brest region, and on May 13 in the Mahilyow and Vitsyebsk regions.
At a meeting held in Minsk on April 23, the Political Council of United Pro-democratic Forces a ballot form for secret votes at the regional conferences. The ballot contains five questions, including a question about the status of the Political Council's chairperson and co-chairpersons, the formation of the Political Council and its board, and the functions and powers of the board. The organizing committee for the Congress will sum up the results of the votes. The agenda of the Congress will be drawn up in accordance with the results of the votes at the regional conferences.
The organizing committee insists that the Congress will hardly be postponed. "The date of the Congress should not change," Anatol Lyabedzka, chairman of the United Civic Party, told BelaPAN earlier this month. "We've already drawn up all the documents that will be discussed at the Congress. The Small Constitution, and a program of the social and economic development of Belarus have already been completed. If the Congress is postponed, this can only be for organizational and political reasons, i.e. whether we will find a hall to hold the Congress, etc. But we have already held talks with our Ukrainian colleagues, and they say that they can offer us a hall and can also help us solve organizational problems."
http://brestonline.com/en/news/news1091.html