Official press refused to publish programmes of Lyabedzka and Bahdankevich

• 4.09.2008, 13:42

“Respublika”, an official newspaper of the Council of Minister of Belarus, refused to publish election programmes of MP candidates representing the United Civil Party.

Party leader Anatol Lyabedzka, honorary UCP chairman, former National Bank head Stanislau Bahdankevich, party activist Hanna Yahorava were among the people who were refused.

According to UCP head Anatol Lyabedzka, ground for the refusal was hard estimate of the political and economic situation in Belarus contained in the preamble of the programme.

“We had a common programme, a message to citizens and the business of our country. I expected this refusal. When I signed this message, I supposed that the authorities would reveal their true face in the sphere of “openness” and “justice” of the “election”. We have no dialog, no discussion. The global conditions, necessary for recognising fair election, are violated. People are isolated from parties and their programmes,” Stanislau Bahdankevich told in an interview to the Charter’97 press center.