Ales Marachkin: No elections until Statkevich is released

Opposition should do what civil society wants it to do.

Nominating Mikalai Statkevich as the common presidential candidate or boycotting the elections is the right decision for Belarusian politicians in the current situation. It was said by Ales Marachkin, artist, head of the creative group Pahonia and member of the organising committee to create the Belarusian Movement party. He thinks political parties and civil society of Belarus should stick to their demands to release all political prisoners for holding a proper election campaign.

“I support a boycott. Perhaps, it is the only variant. I support both Pavel Seviarynets and Andrei Sannikov. We need to nominate Statkevich as a candidate and boycott the elections if he is not registered. Among all arrested presidential candidates, he is the only one who is still held in prison.

As many have already said, we can go to the elections only if the political prisoners are freed. Our main political prisoner – former presidential candidate Mikalai Statevich – is still in prison. We need to do what civil society wants us to do, moreover that the current political situation in Belarus is favourable for Lukashenka as never before due to the Ukrainian conflict and his role as a peacemaker,” he thinks.