Opposition leaders share their opinion of presidential election with visiting German official

Gernot Erler, the German federal government's coordinator for intersocietal cooperation with Russia, Central Asia and the Eastern Partnership countries, met with Belarusian opposition leaders in Minsk on September 3.

Speaking to reporters later in the day, Mr. Erler said that the politicians had shared their opinion of Belarus' coming presidential election.

The meeting was attended by former presidential candidates Mikalay Statkevich, Uladzimir Nyaklyayew and Vital Rymashewski and United Civic Party leader Anatol Lyabedzka. Tatsyana Karatkevich, an activist of the "Tell the Truth!" movement who is seen as the sole opposition contender left in the presidential race and is facing a barrage of criticism from opposition groups, had been invited to the meeting but could not attend.

According to Mr. Erler, all of the politicians said that they would observe laws while holding street events and campaigns to "avoid the situation that was in 2010."

The opposition figures reportedly criticized the authorities for banning calls for an election boycott.

Mr. Erler said that he had also met with Jacques Faure, head of the observation mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights for the election, to discuss the campaign.