Mikalai Statkevich: There Is Progress In Opposition Uniting

All democratic parties have aspirations towards uniting.

It has been said by one of the leaders of the Belarusian opposition, chairman of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Narodnaya Hramada) Mikalai Statkevich to charter97.org website, as he commented on the session of the standing council of democratic organisations which had taken place today:

– Today at the session of the standing council of democratic organisations a single list of candidates for the “parliamentary elections” was discussed.

Unfortunately, our colleagues from the United Civil Party, the organizing committee for creation of the Belarusian Christian Democratic Party and the Belarusian Popular Front Party pronounced against the proposal that the Congress of the Democratic Forces, which is to be held on May 15, is to establish principles for forming the single list of candidates.

They are ready to carry out consultations and form a single list of candidates, but they believe that the single list means any number of oppositional candidates in each constituency. To my mind, it could not be “a single list” by definition.

So we postponed this issue to May 3. I understand some colleagues, who are ready to mistake the wish for the reality, as opposition alliance is really necessary. Both grassroot organisations of parties and international partners want that. But one should be principled in this matter: the single list means one candidate per constituency. Some exceptions for rural constituencies are possible That is why we are to continue consultations.

Such an initiative has been offered by Vital Rymasheuski and the BCD: to set up a working group and develop a mechanism of creation of a single list of candidates. But at the same time representatives of the UCP say that it would be good to have several oppositional candidates in one constituency. In such a case it is not “a single list” then. It’s one thing when ballots are stolen from us by the authorities, and quite the other is when several candidates would “draw away” votes and “steal” their own victory from themselves.

That is why we have postponed this question to May 3. We are going to look at the lists of all parties, coordinate if possible, find an agreement – and announce the single list.

– What is your evaluation of opposition’s ability to unite for today?

– I see a certain progress and an onward movement. I see an aspiration to unite in opposition, and notably in all parties. Positions of regional organisations, democratic partners from other countries are producing results: there is progress in uniting.

The decision to set up a standing council of democratic organisations was adopted on April 15 in Minsk by representatives of the United Civil Party, the Belarusian Popular Front, the civil campaign European Belarus, the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada), the Belarusian Leftist Party Just World, For Freedom movement, the movement of solidarity Razam, the independent REP Trade Union (the trade union of the radio-electronic industry), the organizing committee for creation of the Belarusian Christian Democratic party, the Belarusian Social Democratic Pary Narodnaya Hramada. Later this decision was supported by organizing committees of the Belarusian Rukh party, the Party of Workers, the Women’s Party Nadzeya and the Freedom and Progress Party.