IRI Hosts Belarusian People's Coalition Five Plus

February 10, 2004

February 10 -- IRI co-hosted a working dinner for the Belarusian People’s Coalition Five Plus at the Lithuanian Embassy in Washington. The coalition, which encompasses 90 percent of the registered political parties in Belarus, over 200 NGOs, and the small opposition faction of the Belarusian Parliament, has designed a platform called “Five Steps to a Better Life.” The platform consists of core-values that the ideologically-different parties have agreed on in order to back a common list of candidates for the fall 2004 parliamentary elections.

Five Plus presented its platform, candidate list, and core principles to an audience of congressional and administrative staff, foreign diplomats, and representatives from the most active NGOs. Congressman John Shimkus (R-IL), chairman of the Baltic Caucus and an avid supporter of Belarusian democracy, concluded the evening with words of support for the coalition. The audience was optimistic that a pro-democratic coalition had organized itself so well more than nine months before the elections.

The dinner was part of the Five Plus Coalition’s five-day visit to Washington during which they met with State Department, White House, and legislative officials, including Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert and IRI Chairman, Senator John McCain.

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