Opposition party’s auditing committee tells leader to provide explanations over interview with government-controlled newspaper

In a sign of emerging divisions within the Belarusian Social Democratic Party “Hramada”, its Central Auditing Committee has requested the party’s chairman, Anatol Lyawkovich, to provide written explanations over his controversial interview published by the largest government-controlled newspaper Sovetskaya Belorussiya in April.

The committee has asked Mr. Lyawkovich to explain whether the interview represented his personal position or the position of the entire party.

The committee made the request after considering a statement by BSDP members from Babruysk at a May 10 meeting, the party’s press office said.

In the interview, Mr. Lyawkovich, a co-chairman of the United Pro-democratic Forces, said that the opposition should cooperate with the government instead of “putting spokes into its wheels” and likened efforts to unseat Alyaksandr Lukashenka to “fighting with the people itself.”

Mr. Lyawkovich attacked pro-democratic forces for their “severe opposition” to Mr. Lukashenka, who he said was elected and backed by the Belarusian people’s majority.

The politician said that the BSDP would “insistently look for common ground with the political leadership of the country for common movement in a direction that will allow the party to become a full-fledged member of the systemic political process.”

Describing Mr. Lukashenka as a “spontaneous social democrat,” Mr. Lyawkovich noted that the party would seek cooperation with the government and support its “pragmatic line.” “Those who are putting spokes into the wheels and trying to stop the accelerating train today will be trying to catch up with it and get into at least the last car tomorrow,” the BSDP leader said.

The article drew criticism from the three other co-chairmen of the United Pro-democratic Forces – Anatol Lyabedzka, Syarhey Kalyakin and Vintsuk Vyachorka.

A week after the interview was published, the Presidium of the United Pro-democratic Forces prohibited Mr. Lyawkovich from making statements on behalf of the opposition coalition. //BelaPAN