Syarhey Kalyakin, the long-standing leader of the "Spravedlivy Mir" (Just World) Belarusian Party of the Left, was reelected uncontested as chairman of the opposition party at its convention that wrapped up in Minsk on Sunday.
Speaking after the vote, Mr. Kalyakin called his reelection a crucial event for the party. "Many young people took part in the vote, which means that the party undergoes regeneration," he said. "They hold very different views, but the fact that they have joined us is positive and suggests that the party will live a long life."
Around 170 delegates from across Belarus took part in the convention of the party that had been known as the Belarusian Party of Communists before October 2009. The party changed its name in an attempt to attract new members from among youths and activists of other leftist groups.
