Alyaksei Yanusheuski: “Citizens of Belarus will be able to defend their votes only on the Square”

The Young Front organisation has announced a boycott to the parliamentary elections under a slogan: “Not a vote, but the square!” The effectiveness of this strategy has been explained by an activist of the Young Front Alyaksei Yanusheuski in his interview to “Belgazeta”.

- Why do you boycott the election?

- It is not an election, but a farce. Lukashenka has announced recently that he won’t be against some oppositionists entering the “parliament”. Why is it done? The economic situation in the country is difficult: the US has frozen the accounts of Belneftekhim, a pressure from Russia continues. We should negotiate with the West on some loans. It is possible only a definite democratization of the country would take place.

It is possible that several so-called “oppositionists” would be allowed to go to the parliament. They won’t decide anything, but the appearance of the parliament’s legitimacy in the eyes of the West will be guaranteed. At the same time political prisoners will remain in prisons, repressions against independent mass media and crackdown on the youth will continue. We cannot call upon citizens to take part in this farce and once again secure legality of the today’s regime.

- Do you have a program for the period of the boycott?

- The slogan number one for us is “Not a vote, but the square!”. The citizens of Belarus will be able to defend their votes only on the square. It is understandable that oppositionists or independent observers won’t be allowed to join electoral commissions. The only exception is Russians, who will say again that no election fraud has taken place. A large-scale agitation campaign will take place: talks with the population, campaign materials, and addresses of oppositional leaders who support the boycott, publications in mass media.

In 2000, after the boycott campaign which was carried out in a right way, there was a noticeable enthusiasm in the society! Let me remind that the years 1999-2000 were years of the most massive rallies of the opposition over the last 10 years.

- But you are loosing the chance of legal relations with voters…

- Nobody prohibits us to reach people, disseminate our ideas and printed materials. A person that wants to get one’s message across will succeed. When agitation is active, detentions are taking place in any case. Even candidates, who will take part in the election, won’t avoid them.

- How do you like the idea of the United Democratic Forces about the single list? When the requirements to the campaign would be fulfilled?

- Only naive optimists believe that the demands would be fulfilled. That is why the statements like: “We shall withdraw a candidate in a few days before the election” are empty words. They will just mislead people.

As previous campaigns have demonstrated, youth organisations like the Young Front are capable of more than jsut active street actions.