The Belarussian parliament on Friday set March 19 as the date for the country's presidential elections next year, during which President Alexander Lukashenko will seek re-election, Russian news agencies reported Friday.

Central Election Commission chief Lidia Yermoshina said presidential candidates must submit a list of no fewer than 100 supporters nominating them for president by December 23. She expected up to 10 candidates to run in the race.

Lukashenko, who was first elected in 1994, got the go-ahead to run for a third term through a constitutional referendum last year and is widely expected to sweep the March election. His current term ends in September 2006.

The president has pledged "full of determination" to hold the presidential elections "accurately and elegantly."

"I will offer my services to the nation and I will say what I intend to do if elected and what I can't do," Lukashenko told a gathering of students in the town of Mogilev last month.

The decision on election date came a day after Lukashenko visited his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Russia's southern resort town of Sochi to discuss economic cooperation, particularly in energy, as the two former Soviet republics are forging closer ties.

Belarussian opposition parties fielded an independent candidate, Alexander Milinkevich, in October as their single candidate for the presidential race.

Milinkevich, 58, is not affiliated with any party but heads the Ratusha non-governmental organization and a program that promotes local development. He has been a scholar and teacher for most of his life.

Source: Xinhua