Yanukevich not allowed to appear on TV

Pre-election debates with participation of BOF party leader Alyaksei Yanukevich were not aired by the Vitebsk regional television.

Alyaksei Yanukevich is an election agent of BPF candidate Alyaksandr Kuznyatsou. He took part in a debate in Vitebsk-Horkauski constituency No. 17, the BPF press service reports.

As Alyaksandr Kuznyatsou was told in the constituency election commission, they received a telephone message from the Central Election Commission yesterday evening ordering not to air the pre-recorded debate, because Yanukevich was a candidate in the Autazavodski constituency No. 92 in Minsk.

“This misfortune is another clear evidence that the law, in this case the Electoral Code, does not work. The authorities change the rules in the course of the campaign. Yesterday, when I arrived in Vitebsk to take part in the debate, it was alright. But the rules were changed the next day and the debate didn't appear on TV. I am confident the authorities do not like how I estimated the situation and what questions I raised in my speech. These facts demonstrate that pro-governmental candidates and officials do not have convincing arguments to support the current foreign and economic policy of the country,” Alyaksei Yanukevich said.

The debate in Vitebsk was recorded on September 4, before the Central Election Commission released a ruling forbidding a candidate to represent another candidate in debates.