On Presidential ‘Elections’

The statement of the Narodnaya Hramada Presidium.

The regime-controlled parties have just started claiming their readiness to imitate participation in the presidential election imitation, but the special services of the ruling regime are dealing with this “election” at full capacity.

Their mission is to neutralize potential presidential candidates, those who are really dangerous for the regime, together with the structures supporting them. For this, the special services use all possible means of pressure and repressions.

Narodnaya Hramada constantly faces this on own experience. Before one of such “elections”, the regime canceled the registration of our party. Many of our comrades were repressed. Chairman of Narodnaya Hramada Mikalai Statkevich was subjected to criminal prosecution on the eve of the presidential “elections” in 2001 and 2006, and this prevented him from participating thereof as a candidate. After the “election” in 2010, he was put to jail and released only the day after the expiration of registration of candidates for the presidential “elections” in 2015. The Narodnaya Hramada leader spent 8 years in jail on aggregate.

The same measures were applied against other candidates, dangerous for the regime. Andrei Sannikov, Uladzimir Niakliaeu went through criminal prosecution and forced emigration.

We state with sorrow that the Lukashenka regime does not give up its old methods of holding “elections”. A new wave of repressions has been started against potential candidates today.

The task of the criminal case against the REP trade union is to prevent its respectable leader Henadz Fiadynich from participating in the next presidential “election”. A structure with branches in all big cities of Belarus stands behind him. He is supported by fraternal trade unions from other countries. Moreover, he is a member of the Council of the Belarusian National Congress – the only structure which is not afraid to organize protest actions in the center of the capital and is ready to support the Chairman of the BNC Economic Commission.

We assess the threat of starting a criminal case against Pavel Seviarynets in the same way.

Against the background of the growth of social tension, and extremely low ratings of Lukashenka, the regime is trying to play it safe and let only its marionettes even to this fake “election”.

The people can no longer apathetically watch how they are deprived of real choice. Narodnaya Hramada will present the strategy of actions with regard to the presidential “election”, upon consideration of the current situation, till the end of this year.

The Narodnaya Hramada Presidium, hramada.org