Statkevich’s Opponents Set Up Another Social-Democratic Party :: Charter'97 :: News

Constituent assembly of the Belarusian Social-Democratic Party was held in Minsk on December 2. The meeting attracted 129 delegates – BSDP (NG) members – representing 35 local organizations, who determined to leave the party, headed by Nikolai Statkevich, and form a new political organization on the basis of the long-existing faction “For unity”. The reason for that move was the mistakes of the BSDP (NG) board and their autocratic rule.

The new party’s assembly was opened by Aleksei Korol, who spoke on the root-causes of confrontations amid BSDP (NG). According to him, it was namely the totalitarian style of governance, which provoked recession from social democratic platforms and further entailed more serious conflicts. Aleksei Korol deems that these tendencies prevent BSDP (NG) from political strife with the authorities, forcing the party to rather compromise with them.

The party will be led by the chairman of the party, head of the National council and chairman of the Central Committee. As far as afterwards they plan to merge the new body with some other like-minded groups, the decided to leave the chair’s post vacant for now, while his duties will be executed by the chair of the National council Anatoly Gurinovich. They also elected Aleksei Korol as the Central committee chair, Pavel Znavets – as a treasurer, Anatoly Sidorevich – editor of the party’s bulletin and Tatyana Khaletskaya – first party secretary. There has been formed a Central Committee, which will include such famous politicians and public figures as Mecheslav Grib, Mikola Gril etc.