Activists Of Maladechna UCP Branch Demand Anatol Liabedzka Should Resign

Anatol Liabedzka has no moral right to head the party after he had approved appointment of Hanna Kanapatskaya as a ‘deputy’.

7 UCP activists from Maladechna signed the letter condemning the position of the board of the United Civil Party with regard to participation in the ‘parliamentary election’, and suggesting Anatol Liabedzka should resign from the position of the party Chairman.

Among those who signed the letter there is leader of Maladechna city UCP organization Henadz Faryna, entrepreneur Ivan Mishyn, economist Siarhei Balykin. The authors of the letter remain especially outraged by the fact that Hanna Kanapatskaya had not given in her ‘mandate’, and the party leaders supported that, having admitted that the authorities had falsified the ‘election’ results.

“The Belarusian ‘parliament’ remains no independent branch of power, it fully depends on Lukashenka, and the only ‘deputy’ can take no real steps. The only aim of appointing Hanna Kanapatskaya to the ‘chamber of representatives’ is to set up an illusion that democratic changes started happening in Belarus.

We say that the directive board of the UCP once again cynically ignored the opinion of the ordinary party members, and want to express our mistrust to the leadership of the United Civil Party. We believe that, given the current conditions, Chairman of the United Civil Party Anatol Liabedzka has no moral right to stay in his post, and invite him to voluntarily resign."

The cell phone of Anatol Liabedzka, whom the correspondent of Radio Liberty was trying to reach for a comment, was turned off.

"He's out of town, will be back on Saturday," – the press-secretary of the UCP Hanna Krasulina has said. Hanna Krasulina added that she was aware of the letter of a group of party members from Maladechna and even guessed about who initiated the letter. At the same time Hanna Krasulina believes that the letter is bound to be considered in accordance with the charter of the party.

"It would be better to go to Maladechna and meet with the activists who signed that letter, once again listen to their arguments, express ours. The need to maintain "membership in the parliament" of Hanna Kanapatskaya and take advantage of it has already been decided in the party. However, perhaps, our opinions simply did not reach some activists," – Hanna Krasulina has said.

After the "election" to the "chamber of representatives", to which one of the UCP nominees, businesswoman Hanna Kanapatskaya made it, many party activists said that she had to abandon the ‘mandate’ in light of the fact that the UCP and other opposition parties had recognized the ‘elections’ rigged.

This position was defended by well-known activist Volha Mayorava, leader of the Minsk regional UCP organization Victar Malochka and other activists. The political council of the party, however, decided otherwise - that Hanna Kanapatskaya does not have to give in her mandate.