Three presidential candidates appeared in Belarus (Photo)

22.06.2009, 12:28

Oppositional politicians have held first national conventions for nomination of presidential candidates for the next election.

Their initiators were the Belarusian Popular Front Party and the chairman of the organizing committee of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Narodnaya Hramada) Mikalay Statkevich. Such events are also planned by the United Democratic Forces and “For Freedom” movement.

On June 20 a meeting of the Belarusian Popular Front Party’s core group called together by Lyavon Barshcheuski took place in the Palace of Culture of MTZ (Minsk Tractor building factory). 200 persons answered to the call of the chairman. Some boycotted the forum, including one of the most probable successors of Barshcheuski in the position of the party leader, Alyaksei Yanukevich, “Nasha Niva” writes.

At the meeting problems the Popular Front faces now were discussed. The major part of speeches was dedicated to the upcoming presidential election. Members of the party agreed that a candidate of the BPF is indispensable in the election. However, in a letter circulated previously, 6 out of 10 candidates nominated by regional branches of the party, who are close to the leader of “For Freedom” movement Alyaksandr Milinkevich, called the convention unqualified and asked not to consider their candidatures at the meeting.

Some other candidates withheld their candidatures in favour of Lyavon Barshcheuski. As a result of non-alternative vote, the meeting recommended their chairman for participation in the presidential vote. Barshcheuski promised not to disappoint them.

It's curious that a huge red-green flag was placed over the stage of the assembly hall. Nobody dared to remove it, as the director of the palace promised sanctions against the organisers in such a case. The deputy chairman of the BPF party Viktar Ivashkevich answered to that: if you do not want to see this flag, you should win in the future election.

In the afternoon the assembly hall was left for the Congress organized by Mikalai Statkevich. Some members of the BPF party left, while others stayed. According to visual estimation, first there were about 500 participants in the assembly hall, but it was hard to say whether all of them were delegates.

As said by Mikola Statkevich, there were 250 representatives of “Narodnaya Hramada” in the hall, 200 representatives of “Razam” movement of Vyachaslau Siuchyk and Alyaksandr Makaeu, and 100 from the organizing committee o the Social-Democratic party of Syarhei Skrabets.

Rather strange people represented the latter one. Some delegates reeked of alcohol, to put it mildly. They were not really interested by what was happening in the palace of culture.

The congress was held at a quick pace. There were no long discussions about the strategy and declarations. All these documents were published in “Narodnaya Volya” beforehand. It was offered to approve them. A phrase about replacing “Russian language” by “language of the Russian Federation” caused some excitement. The correction was applied.

First it wasn’t planned for the congress to nominate the “European Coalition’s” candidate. However it happened the other way in reality.

The editor-in-chief of “Borisovskie novosti” Anatol Bukas proposed Mikola Statkevich as a candidate, and the former political prisoner Tsimafei Dranchuk proposed his new chief Syarhei Skrabets. Siuchyk and Makaeu didn’t nominate anyone.

Skrabets who is know for his pro-Russian views, withheld his candidature in favour of Statkevich.

Thus, Statkevich became the only contender. Most delegates voted in favour of him. Only 11 persons were against, and 22 abstained.

As we have informed, the leader of “For Freedom” movement Alyaksandr Milinkevich previously on repeated occasions stated his intention to become a presidential hopeful again.