Belarusian National Congress’ Council: Another Electoral Farce Is Being Prepared

Belarusian opposition should stand together with a demand of open, fair elections under international control.

It is said in the statement of the Council of the Belarusian National Congress, which has been published on Facebook by one of the leaders of Belarusian opposition, the chairman of the organizing committee for creation of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Narodnaya Hramada) Mikalai Statkevich.

The economic situation in Belarus is so catastrophic that it is impossible to overcome the crisis without political reforms, which are an indispensable condition of economic reforms.

A legal framework for the reforms should be prepared by the parliament, that is why democratic oppositional forces were ready to use even a slim chance in the parliamentary campaign, in order to start changes in the country in a peaceful way. However the dictatorship is concerned about self-preservation only, which is demonstrated by all decisions of the authorities related to the “elections.”

The democratic forces are still limited in their capabilities and means for carrying out an election campaign, the authorities do not give them any chances for fair competition. There is no freedom of speech, access of the democratic community to state-run mass media. Political prisoners are still in prisons, persecution of public activists and independent journalists continues, even punitive psychiatry returns to the practice of the regime.

The regime refuses to rehabilitate political prisoners, who had been wrongfully convicted for participation in the “elections” in 2010, thus depriving them of civil and political rights.

A number of democratic parties are deprived of registration and a possibility to nominate candidates. The authorities have not carried out investigation of rigging of many previous elections and have not brought to justice those found responsible. The “elections” will be held by the same group of ballot-riggers as before.

Out of the 13 recommendations of the ODIHR/OSCE only three have been taken into account in preparation for the “elections.” As before, observers are deprived of a possibility to control vote count. An insignificant number of opposition representatives have become members of territorial and precinct commissions, their number is half as many as in the previous “elections.” One of the main instruments of rigging is preserved: early voting.

Non-transparent conditions of candidates’ financing remain unchanged. Pro-governmental candidates use administrative resources, while alternative candidates are deprived even of what they had before: budget money for printing campaign materials. Opposition candidates cannot count on assistance of the business community either, as such assistance could result in persecution.

It is quite obvious that the regime is preparing another electoral farce. Such irresponsible actions of the authorities are to deepen the crisis and to lead to further pauperization of the population. As a result of the actions by the authorities a threat to the independence of the Belarusian state is created.

To prevent this, the Belarusian democratic opposition must act as unified force with a demand of open, fair elections under international control.

We remind that the Belarusian National Congress had been created with the aim to unite the Belarusian opposition amid the system-level crisis, which has swept the country because of Lukashenka’s rule.

The organizing committee of the Congress includes prominent political leaders of Belarus: the former presidential candidate of Belarus in 2010 Mikalai Statkevich, a poet and politician Uladzimir Niakliaeu, first head of independent Belarus Stanislau Shushkevich, Henadz Fiadynich, Chairman of the Trade Union of Radio and Electronics Industry, leader of the Razam movement Viachyslau Siuchyk, co-Chairman of the Young Front Zmitser Dashkevich, leader of the European Belarus civil campaign and presidential candidate in 2010 Andrei Sannikov.

The first meeting of the Belarusian National Congress was held on May 15 in Minsk near the Yanka Kupala monument, as the authorities refused to give premises to the Congress organisers.