Harry Pahanyaila: Yermoshyna Feels Her Impunity

Recent statements by the head of the Central Election Commission have once again stirred up the civil society.

The Chairman of the CEC Lidziya Yermoshyna said that different political forces could allegedly use the "election" as the trigger to aggravate the political situation: "Current calls show that participants of events in 2010 have not learned anything, even in prison."

Can the head of the Central Election Commission make such statements?

- Lidziya Yermoshyna has long been criticized for her statements in the political field, chairman of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee Harry Pahanyaila provides comments Zautra Tvaye Krainy. - She should take a neutral position and serve as a model for other members. There are candidates who can criticize each other, a party's and the country's leadership and, finally, mass media - there are people who can criticize certain positions during the election campaign.

The election campaign itself is a heightened political moment with the most acute struggle between different political parties, associations, because they are fighting for power. To replace those who are in power, if we mean the classical opposition.

If to compare all our political campaign with that of our neighbours in Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine (I am not talking about Russia, which is getting close to our standards) elections are very bright political event. Some people sail close to the wind and yet it is accepted. Moreover, it is needed to exercise some political tolerance to criticism, because sometimes emotions can gain the upper.

According to the source, Belarus today has no hard legislative enactments, which could bring to justice, raise the issue of the exclusion.

- The situation where the same Yermoshyna feels her impunity proves that she works on the current government, the expert says specifying that there are no levers which could "calm down" the talkative head of the CEC. -Very tough support and order are required to make the appeal against such statements possible and then to bring to justice, remove from office, withdraw from the Commission, and so on. But there is none.