No Changes Occur at BPF :: Charter'97 :: News

Another BPF Congress, assembled to approve of the tactical plans of the party, voted to re-elect Vintsuk Vyachorka as the organization’s leader. The delegates also discussed such issues as the elections into the local bodies, BPF’s participation in democratic coalitions, along with the boycott of the possible elections into the “union’s parliament”. BPF didn’t split up in two, as some expected, while Vyachestal Sivchik, defeated by Vyachorka with a serious vote difference, never showed up at the Sunday session.

BPF will preserve the status of the carrier of the national and state idea, struggling for the independence of Belarus in coalition with other parties. BPF’s strategy will remain pretty much unchanged. Among their tactical goals are the boycott of the possible “union” referendums and elections into the “union parliament”, as well as the scheduled preparations for the elections into the local authorities.

The lost presidential elections, in which BPF members actively engaged, could motivate the schism in this right-wing party. However, Vintsuk Vyachorka outnumbered his challenger Sivchik by a 246 to 81 vote. The latter lost his deputy chairman’s mandate, becoming an ordinary Sojm member.

The followers of another concept of the Front’s development, who placed their hopes with Sivchik, claim that it’s high time they changed Vyachorka’s structures, which are no longer flexible and turn into the NGO-type of organizations, where folks simply earn money. In particular, this was said by the deputy chair of the Youth Front Evgeny Skochko: “The point is not just Vyacheslav Sivchik, but rather the processes which are underway in the organization. We voted not for the chairman, but rather for the whole program – either BPF remains in an old weak state or its members vote for the Front’s reformation. If Front doesn’t choose reforms, it’ll keep collapsing in future,” – Evgeny Skochko told in an interview to Radio Ratsya.

Vyachorka’s deputies were elected Yuri Khodyko, who’s assigned to represent BPF in coalition structures and be responsible for the exterior relations, Viktor Ivashkevich, in charge of electoral campaigns, Pavel Severinets, responsible for youth policy and street rallies, as well as Galina Semdyanova, responsible for the BPF structures. By the way, it was namely Semdyaniva, who replaced Sivchik at the deputy’s post.