Opposition leaders notes authorities` unprecedented disregard of electoral regulations :: Charter'97 :: News

Opposition leaders agreed at a conference held in Minsk on Thursday that the ongoing local elections are unprecedented in terms of authorities` disregard of regulations.

Anatoly Lebedko, leader of the United Civic Party, noted that he had not seen such open defiance of electoral regulations since Aleksandr Lukashenko come to power in 1994. According to Mr. Lebedko, 16 candidates of the party in Minsk could not print their campaign leaflets in either state or private printing houses. "Such things didn`t occur even during the presidential campaign," he said. Pro-democratic forces should inform the voters about all law violations during this election campaign, Mr. Lebedko suggested.

Viktor Korniyenko, an aide to Aleksandr Milinkevich, said that pro-democratic candidates "should not fall before a shot." However, he noted that the candidates might be withdrawn from the race after they used all campaigning opportunities in their status.

The chairman of the Belarusian Social Democratic Hramada, Stanislav Shushkevich, stressed that his party had always believed that "nothing would come out of these elections."

"There were not and will not be any illusions about these elections," said Vintsuk Vyachorka, chairman of the Belarusian Popular Front (BPF). He noted that the BPF would use the remaining two days of the campaigning stage to inform the population about the Belarusian-Russian "gas war" as the main threat to Belarus` independence. He said that this should be the only subject at meetings with voters. "All the rest is nothing in comparison with this problem," said Mr. Vyachorka.

Yelena Skrigan, secretary of the Central Committee of the Belarusian Party of Communists (BPC), said that the BPC candidates who had withdrawn from the race continued to take part in the campaign by canvassing voters door-to-door and explaining why the party had recommended its members not to run in the elections. According to her, some 30 BPC members still remains candidates.

Anatoly Levkovich, acting chairman of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party "Hramada," said that his party regards these elections as a technical matter.

"The outcome of the local elections is obvious, but we`ll use them to recruit new supporters," said Viktor Gorbachev, a leader of a small business owners` association. According to him, 47 members of the association are running in the elections.