Syarhei Salash: “I will call upon my voters to boycott the “elections”

An activist of the Belarusian Popular Front party, included in the list of the United Democratic Forces candidates, an activist of “For Freedom” movement Syarhei Salash, hasn’t been registered as a candidate for deputy in Barysau rural district No.63.

The pro-democracy activist hasn’t been registered on the grounds of the fact that part of his signatures allegedly is false, and that he declared his “net” annual income without indicating his income tax. Though, no clear explanations had been given how candidates for deputies should declare their income.

As Syarhei Salash told in an interview to the Charter’97 press-centre, he had met the same reasons for a refusal to register during the campaign for elections of local Soviets’ deputies in 2003. Then some of signatures in his support were found invalid as well, but the candidate and his team revisited all the people who signed for him, and they confirmed in written form that they had submitted their signatures in support of the democratic candidate.

“And now it is impossible to do the same. It was enough to have about one hundred signatures at local elections. I have collected more than a thousand signatures in the “parliamentary elections”. How can I visit all the people in 3 days? It is obvious that the regime can always find reasons not to register unwelcomed candidates if desired. Last year we carried out a few public campaigns in the city, many signatures were collected. I am popular among the city citizens, and the regime doesn’t like it obviously,” Syarhei Salash noted.

As said by the democratic candidate, it is impossible to say today that “the elections would be free”.

“I am convinced that there won’t be an open electoral process in Belarus this autumn. I was made to leave the race baselessly. I will call upon my supporters to boycott this “election”. But even if I was registered, I thought about the boycott. When there are no independent members in precinct and constituency commissions, what kind of “elections” we are speaking about? I think that most of people will refuse to take part in this farce. The regime can write any figures, but I am convinced that boycott in Barysau will do well. And we will tell the people who and how vote in reality,” Syarhei Salash said.