MINSK -- The Communist Party of Belarus says it will change its name, RFE/RL's Belarus Service reports.
The issue and possible new names will be discussed at a May 23 party congress.
Belarusian Communist Party leader Syarhey Kalyakin said that the party decided to change its name because the majority of Belarusians no longer accept communist principles and that hinders the party's work.
He added that the Communist Party does not plan to establish a communist society and his party wants to distance itself from the legacy of the Soviet Communist Party, namely from its repression against dissidents and the mass violations of human rights and democratic principles.