While Kazulin in prison, Lyaukovich hastened to take his place

A call “Freedom for Kazulin!” is on the agenda in Belarus and in the world, but party colleagues of the political prisoners interpret this call in another way and removed Alyaksandr Kazulin from the post of leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada).

The Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada) had an extra-session on 3 August. A question of change of the party leadership was on the agenda. Another issue of the agenda on nomination candidates for deputies was pushed to the sidelines.

A scandal in the BSDP stirred up in February, when head the party Alyaksandr Kazulin, who is in prison now, allegedly called to change the party leadership.

The former presidential candidate stated in his letter that the BSDP, having gained wide popularity after the election 2006 and become “one of the leading opposition political forces in the country”, was loosing its weight. A reason is “struggle of personal ambitions for mythical power in close circle of, as it would seem, associates.”

Later, Alyaksandr Kazulin temporally released to attend funeral of his wife, met with the party leadership. It seems that problems in the party weren’t solved.

On 26 February, answering the questions of Radio Svaboda listeners Alyaksandr Kazulin criticised the situation in the party:

“When a party leader is in prison, his deputies shouldn’t settle personal issues,” Kazulin said answering the question about disappearing of the party from political life. “I don’t want to call it a treachery, but it looks like it.”

However, the wasn’t a split. As Salidarnast newspaper reports, two forces has clashed in the party: from the one side first deputy head Anatol Lyaukovich, deputies heads Anatol Sidarevich and Ivan Antashkevich, and from the other side members of a new fraction Volha Kazulina, Ihar Rynkevich, Viktar Kryval and Aleh Vouchak.

One of the founders of the party Ihar Rynkevich noted in an interview to Salidarnast that “in due course, ambitions for leadership came over Anatol Lyaukovich. Methods of intrigues, and backstage struggle have won.”

Speaking at the session, Anatol Lyaukovich criticised harshly the fraction “For inner-party democracy” and its members Volha Kazulina, Aleh Vouchak and Ihar Rynkevich. According to participants of the session, Lyaukovich took the liberty of attacking prisoner Alyaksandr Kazulin. He noted that Kazulin “is called an extremist” by many people in the world.

A question of election of a new party head was put on the agenda. Two candidatures were proposed – former presidential candidate and present political prisoner and party head Alyaksandr Kazulin, and first deputy head Anatol Lyaukovich.

The Hrodna BSDP organisation proposed Mechyslau Hryb as a compromise, but he refused.

Anatol Lyaukovich helped Alyaksandr Kazulin to become a BSDP head. Now Lyaukevich has helped Kazulin to retire.

54 per cent voted for Anatol Lyaukovich and 22 per cent voted for Alyaksandr Kazulin.

The Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada) has its new head now.

Besides this main question, an issue on nomination candidates for parliamentary elections, adopt an electoral platform and consider changes in the charter was to be discussed at the session.