“Elections” turnout unlikely to go beyond 30%

Once again Belarusians have demonstrated that they are going to ignore the electoral farce organised by the authorities.

It was said in an interview to charter97.org website by a coordinator of European Belarus civil campaign Zmitser Bandarenka, as he commented the news that Anatoly Lyabedzka had been unable to collect 100,000 signatures to be registered as a presidential candidate.

- The chairman of the United Civil Party Anatoly Lyabedzka has stated that his team failed to collect the necessary 100,000 signatures for registration as a candidate in the presidential “elections.” To our mind, why has it happened?

- It could be said that Mr Lyabedzka is an extremely trusting person and he probably believed the data of those pseudo-sociologists who claim that Belarusians as one are going to participate in these “elections”.

The reality proved to be completely different – the Belarusians are going to ignore these “elections”, there are going to be displays of spontaneous and conscious boycott of this show.

There is a negative in that naturally: now the Belarusian authorities are to start saying that the opposition had been allegedly unable to collect the required 100,000 signatures. But Lyabedzka is just a little part of the opposition. The United Civil Party was the only democratic party which risked to participate in the first stage of this show, while almost all democratic forces of Belarus stayed away from this pseudo-elections.

While members of the UCP are quite pitiable now (I think they would be demoralized by such results), millions of Belarusians with democratic views, who are supporters of the boycott of the false “elections”, are to be reinvigorated and cheered up by these news, as people have received confirmation of their views and their plans.

- You have noted that this situation means a certain tactical defeat for the UCP, and results in a reputational loss. Was it worthwhile for Lyabedzka to make this reckless attempt, and to acknowledge his impotence later?

- I haven’t said that it is “a kind of defeat” for the UCP. It is a catastrophe for the UCP, and now its members are demoralized. For many years we have been asking them, why they are taking part in “elections” of different levels – local, parliamentary ones, -- while it is clear that people won’t go there, when a turnout in Lyabedzka’s constituency once was less than 38%.

We were answered every time that elections are a good training for the structures. But in 2010 only 2 democratic candidates were able to collect 100,000 signatures, and they were at-large candidates.

To my mind, to participate in the elections is possible in only one case, when you call people to take to the streets, to gather on the Square. Today only two variants are possible: a boycott or de facto cooperation with the regime. Those who have placed a bet on boycott have won. Those who decided in a different way, could be felt sorry for. I do not want to praise a chairman of a democratic party for not falsifying signatures. Anyway, there are people in Lyabedzka’s team who have moral authority – for example, Yury Khaschavatski, and others. Some people say: Lyabedzka was not falsifying signatures, bravo! I think, it’s too much.

- It fact, the entire opposition is to boycott this “election” now?

- Almost the entire opposition has been boycotting the “elections” even before that, and now the interest to this event is to be lost completely. Now everyone is to look at Lukashenka and Yarmoshyna and their squirming when polling stations are going to stay empty, and how they would try to drag people to polling stations at a time when a dollar costs Br20,000. I think that during this “election” a turnout is unlikely to be over 30%.