In Belarus places for election propaganda remind “magic skin”

• 26.02.2010, 12:14

Human rights activists say that “elections” to local councils are neither democratic nor transparent.

As informed by Radio Racyja, authorities of Brest region have reduced the number of the places for collection of signatures and canvassing so much that almost only yards are left for that.

It will negatively influence the election campaigning of future independent candidates, believes the head of unregistered public association “Brest spring” (“Brestskaya vyasna”) Uladzimer Vyalichkin.

According to Vyalichkin, reducing the number of places for collection of signatures and canvassing won’t affect pro-regime candidates in any way, as they have considerable advantages of administrative resources.

“Firstly, pro-regime candidates won’t collect signatures probably. They will send their subordinates to collect signatures. And secondly, they would do everything much easier. In order to create an illusion of many-party participation and democratic nature, pro-regime candidates from “Belaya Rus”, the Belarusian Republican Youth Union, from the union of officers and some other unions are to run. They will gather any number of people at enterprises, in gyms, anywhere,” the human rights activist believes.

As said by Vyalichkin, it demonstrates once again that conditions are unequal, that Belarusian “election” is undemocratic and non-transparent.

However, as he believes, opposition should participate in the election, to have a legal opportunity to communicate with people.

“People should run in the election,” Uladzimer Vyalichkin believes. “But if the authorities are staging a farce, they should be answered with a farce after all: for instance, to destroy a voting ballot paper or to write there a name of the person they want to see a deputy”.