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Will Belarusians Stand It Again?

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Will Belarusians Stand It Again?
Photo by belsat.eu

Everyone who has managed to make it into the "house" after this false campaign is a self-appointed king.

Being a journalist for 19 years, I have seen a lot of different "elections" and "referendums" in Belarus. They all followed the unique scenario: forced early voting, stuffing with false bulletins, absence of real vote counting by serfs-teachers and shock-workers in agriculture and industry, half-empty polling stations on the election day, because no sane person would engage in a meaningless and useless event.

But this year Yermoshyna show called "parliamentary elections" has not just failed. The circus itself is burnt down.

On September 11 polling stations were empty across the country. Both observers and independent journalists noted that. Election commission members were in a mournful solitude all day, barmaids felt bored behind the counter with cheap wish-wash and expired products, and folk art bands sang and danced for sleepy policemen near ballot boxes. Things came to such a pitch that there was a free beer on one of Minsk polling stations. One voice - one liter. As a result, local drunkards pulled off, and added rich colors to the overall picture of the "election".

None of my many relatives and friends went to those elections. Social networks were also marked with a complete disregard: even those people completely apolitical found it necessary to inform they would not take part in that farce.

Familiar medical practitioner said the chief doctor was ordered out to work on his day off to visit all patients and ask them to vote. There were people in coma in the voting list.

In panic Yermoshyna ordered to remove all independent observers and journalists from polling stations and not to let them shoot the void, and the Minister of Information Ananich threatened to end with independent journalists. It looks like these women have decided to finally finish their patron.

Everyone who has managed to make it into the "house" after this false campaign are self-appointed kings. There is one urgent question: will Belarusians stand it again?

I was surprised that some opposition members had taken part in that useless play. However, when you see that that were representatives of the parties, which put forward candidates like Kostuseu and Ramanchuk on the presidential elections, questions disappear. I'd like to recall that both of them provided information about political prisoners on the national television, when all independent candidates and their staff were in the KGB prison.

By the way, in 2010, KGB staffers trying to recruit arrested activists offered them to take part in the "parliamentary elections", promoting all possible assistance. No, I certainly do not want to say that all opposition candidates are agents, but even those who sincerely wanted to get alternative information across to people during the so-called election campaign became stoogers of Yermoshina show. The vast majority of observers agree that neither sharp criticism of the regime or a bright performance on radio and TV were showed by opposition members. They told about reforms and education in the country under dictatorship with neglect to basic human rights; and miserable pickets with white-red-white flags played nice for the government in their attempts to give the appearance of some election process.

On September 11 it became crystal clear that Lukashenka's time was about to run out. Neither flirting with the West, nor whirlwind trip of Makeis and Kupchyns can launch the failed Lukashenka's economy.

He is still afloat, because people stand humiliations. It is not enough to wear embroidered t-shirts, attend course of a native language, sing songs of BRUTTO and shout "Long Live Belarus".

To make a difference, drastic actions are required.

I know that today brave people will be on Kastrychnitskaya Square at 6 pm, Minsk. To protect the honor of the nation and show the world that the Belarusians do not agree with the electoral farce and want to be free.

There is no reason to stand it anymore.

Natallia Radzina, editor-in-chief of charter97.org

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