Alyaksandr Makaeu: As long as Statkevich stays in prison, no election is possible

Participation in the presidential election is impossible as long as political prisoners remain behind the bars.

It was said in an interview to charter97.org website by the deputy head of “Razam” movement Alyaksandr Makaeu. In this way he commented the initiative of Mikalai Statkevich’s nomination as a single candidate for presidency in the election – 2015.

“We support this idea,” he said. “At the moment Statkevich is suffering for the sake of the nation, for having a real division of powers, for the things Belarusians are left without since 1996. Considering that one of the participants of the previous presidential campaign is still in prison, he is exactly the person to be nominated as a candidate. It is a moral and right thing to do. It is important for politicians to put off their ambitions, to discard those who want to participate in this farce and to support the demand to release and nomination of Mikalai Statkevich (Nikolai Statkevich) as a single candidate. Morality should be present in the first place. Everything else can wait.”

The politician believes that if the authorities do not release Mikalai Statkevich, one should not participate in the election.

“There is no election in reality. There is no even competition of candidates. There is just an imitation of it. That is why non-participation is the only option. It is clear that people would be herded to participate in the early vote, and to the polling stations on the day of the election. There will be “carrousels”, as they have learnt that from Russians. Non-participation in this campaign is a good idea from the moral aspect. The first move for opposition’s consolidation is exactly non-participation in the election in case the authorities deny releasing Mikalai Statkevich,” he said.