No sense to participate in election farce

One shouldn’t take part in the election campaign until 12 proposals of the EU are fulfilled. Viktar Ivashkevich, deputy head of the Belarusian Popular Front, said it in the interview to Charter’97 press center.

-Should the opposition participate in the so called parliamentary election 2008. The previous election campaigns have shown that there is no election in Belarus, their results are falsified brutally.

-At the time being, the participation in election has sense only if the mechanism of falsification will be broken and the atmosphere of fear will be destroyed. So, I think we should go to polls, if all the political prisoners are released and if opposition representatives are included in election committees. There is no sense to take part in the election campaign without the fulfillment of these conditions. We can’t participate in that farce.

-The party representatives say the participation in “election” is an opportunity to come to the electorate and carry out informational campaign. But isn’t it possible to work with people without election?

-Of course, there is such an opportunity. The example is the campaign of preparation for the European March. The information can be spread among people not in the frames of “election” campaign. I think, the United Democratic Forces should deliver an ultimatum to the authorities: or the EU proposals will be fulfilled, political prisoners will be released and election will be free, or nobody will recognize this, save the mark, election.

Now the democrats say it is necessary to struggle for free election, but the final position hasn’t been formulated yet. In my opinion, it should be a severe ultimatum to the authorities.

-In what degree are the authorities able to fulfill the requirements of the democratic forces?

-Holding free election is one of the EU’s proposals. The implement of this point can affect the volume of economic cooperation between the EU and Belarus. Because the authorities are interested in it. A different matter, in what degree they are nailed down. Lukashenka castigated the government yesterday. It demonstrates there are some problems. Great problems.