Alyaksandr Milinkevich: “I am set to unite people who are ready to fight for freedom” :: Charter'97 :: News

The political council of the united democratic forces by a majority of vote adopted a resolution to shift to a principle of rotation in leading the coalition. It means that the leaders of the structures forming the coalition of the democratic forces are to preside over the coalition in turns. "The history of this issue is rather long, it includes clash of opinions inside the coalition. Yesterday a decision was adopted that every oppositional party would campaign for their leader, but everybody would sit behind a round table and look for an agreement. If we lived and worked in democracy, I would greet the principle of leaders` rotation. But we live under dictatorship, and it is like during the war. We should define a leader and work under his command perfectly. I was ready to take part in the congress with one aim, so that one leader would be elected there. We haven`t held any breakthrough events in the coalition for a year, as there was no manifest eagerness to work together. The coalition was a declarative one. I am not against round tables, but in case the coalition wouldn`t start serious work, we would lose our weight," told he leader of the democratic forces of Belarus Alyaksandr Milinkevich in an interview to the Charter`97 press-center.

As said by Milinkevich, he is not going anywhere. The politician is still a chairman of the Political council of democratic forces. In the future he is set to continue hi swork on forming a public movement "For Freedom" which is to unite representatives of civil society and non-party Belarusians.

"It wouldn`t be Milinkevich`s party. It is senseless to found parties now, as they do not have possibilities to develop. I plan to unite people, who are ready to fight for freedom of their motherland, to unite civil society," the politician said.

A member of the Political council of the united democratic forces Viktar Karneenka believes that "these decisions of the political council are to have serious effect for the configuration of the united democratic forces in the future". "Earlier it had been planned that the Congress of the democratic forces would check the influence and rating of leading politicians, including Alyaksandr Milinkevich. He stated himself that he was ready for that. But the new resolution is that the Congress of the democratic forces would not choose the chairman of the political council, and he would be chosen on a basis of rotation," V. Karneenka said.

At the same time, he said that "a scattered army of the united democratic forces needs unity, and it needs symbols including a leader for that".