Shushkevich wants Belarus` opposition presidential candidate to be like Yushchenko :: Charter'97 :: News

Stanislav Shushkevich, leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic Hramada (BSDH), said he would like a single opposition candidate in Belarus` 2006 presidential election to be like Ukraine`s leader Viktor Yushchenko.

"Polls give me the highest rating but there`s another side of the question. I believe it`s time for the young to act and my course of action will depend on how young politicians will behave at the congress of pro-democracy forces. I would like a young, worthy candidate, who would be like your Viktor Yushchenko and would manage to lead the people, to stand out from our ranks. I would do my utmost to help him," Dr. Shushkevich said in an interview published by Ukraine`s newspaper Den on September 23.

The politician did not rule out a popular uprising leading to the removal of Aleksandr Lukashenko`s government from power. "If the election is rigged, and this mechanism has already been practiced, I`m absolutely confident that the people will defend its right to democracy, to its victory. At present, Lukashenko is backed by a quarter of the population at best, while pro-democracy forces enjoy a much wider support," the BSDH leader noted.
Dr. Shushkevich stressed that Belarus` opposition forces count on "moral support" from Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine. "We also expect information support. If our colleagues abroad help break the information blockade, this will be the best kind of assistance. And we will do the rest ourselves," he said.

The politician denied speculation that Mr. Lukashenko defeated opposition forces in the 2001 presidential election not because of massive vote fraud but because opposition candidate Vladimir Goncharik found no support among voters. "This is a very difficult issue. At least the second round should have been held then," he noted.