Belarusian opposition figure dismisses single candidate strategy as dead end :: Charter'97 :: News

The single candidate scenario currently pursued by the Belarusian opposition is a dead end, a prominent opposition figure and former minister of agriculture, Vasil Lyavonaw, has said in an interview with a Belarusian daily. He stressed that if the 2006 presidential elections were conducted under the current rules, they would be nothing more than a farce and the opposition should not play along. He said President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has monopolized the mass media and the political parties are too unpopular to hope to make a successful presidential bid. Instead of the formal selection of a single candidate by the parties Lyavonaw urged dialogue on an election strategy among opposition politicians. The following is the text of the interview with Lyavonaw by Dzmitryy Zayats entitled "Change rather than elections should be regarded as the ultimate objective" and published by the Belarusian newspaper Belorusskaya Delovaya Gazeta on 17 June:

[Zayats] You propose setting up a group of politicians seeking to change the political system in Belarus instead of fielding a single candidate. What prompted you to put forward such a scenario?

[Lyavonaw] I have been observing the opposition. If the fielding of a single candidate had any hope of producing a positive outcome, I would get involved in this process with all the human resources which I currently possess. However, the campaign to single out a single candidate has too close a resemblance to a party stitch-up. As the parties in Belarus lack the required clout, the selection of a single candidate cannot lead to a political victory. Under current conditions if the opposition abides by the scenario of a single candidate, it will effectively be doing the current regime`s bidding. The opposition does not have access to mass media and thus the single candidate will be hard pressed to build up his popular image. In this context, any competition in the political arena is out of the question. Only one person dominates TV screens. He can dish out dirt on anyone any time. Others will have to make do with 15 minutes of airtime to make a prerecorded speech in the run-up to elections. Why do people keep saying today that there is no alternative to the current president? Doesn`t Belarus have capable managers? It does. However, common people tend to get the impression that the current president is irreplaceable as he has taken over the TV screen. Such circumstances turn the 2006 elections into a farce.

[Zayats] You say that if the authorities do not start a dialogue with the opposition, a civil disobedience campaign should be mounted.

[Lyavonaw] I cannot presently say that such a dialogue will not take place. If the opposition creates an effective united front, the authorities will be forced to the negotiating table.

[Zayats] A similar dialogue, which took place in 1999, led nowhere.

[Lyavonaw] When it got to granting unimpeded access to mass media, the authorities broke off talks. Presently, it is important to ensure the implementation of demands to democratize the overall situation in Belarus. As a first step, we should prove to the people that they have been effectively deprived of any choice. Public opinion polls reveal that many felt deceived after the referendum held last year. If we convince half of the population that we are capable of creating normal living conditions in the country, change will not be long in coming.

The selection of a single presidential candidate will not change the situation in the country. It is much more important for the opposition to make common cause and work with the population not for the sake of the forthcoming elections next year, which can hardly be described as such, but rather for promoting change in the country. One or two groups of opposition politicians can be formed. Each can gather his own team and the person who will do most will be accorded hero treatment. The opposition should not take part in the farce described as elections.

[Zayats] You are saying that the opposition should boycott the elections?

[Lyavonaw] No. I am saying elections make sense once appropriate conditions have been put in place. If such conditions do not emerge, participation in the 2006 elections will be nonsensical.

[Zayats] Half a year ago you told me that a special headquarters should be created to prepare the opposition presidential campaign. Why does such a headquarters have yet to materialize?

[Lyavonaw] I have a great deal of respect for true oppositionists. They show real courage standing up to unending official persecution. I categorically disagree with those saying that these people are motivated by foreign grants. The overwhelming majority is idea-driven. Nothing stands in the way of our unification and all we have to do is develop a strategy. A strategy based exclusively on fielding a single candidate will hardly be successful. This prompted me to send my proposals to opposition leaders as an invitation for discussion.