No Candidate Would Agree to Be the Kremlin's Protégé, Lebedko

No Belarusian candidate would agree to be a protégé of Russia. The statement was made by the chairman of the United Civil Party, Anatoly Lebedko. However, according to the UCP leader, first time in 16 years we can expect that the President of Belarus will not receive a public open support from the Kremlin.

«It will be a new quality in the process of presidential elections», Anatoly Lebedko stated. Moreover, we can expect that the Kremlin will remove the taboo for business to support those or other political projects in Belarus, what was real till the present, the opposition politician said, Trud informs.

If these two factors are realized together with the end of Alexander Lukashenko’s monopoly at Russian-Belarusian relations, according to one of the opposition leaders, in Belarus there will form a completely new situation.

Anatoly Lebedko believes that in current conditions, it will not be easy for Belarusian opposition to come to power. According to the UCP leader, its success will depend on whether the opposition is able offer the voters a single candidate and value alternative, whether they are able to answer the questions of people’s worry.

«Today, it is not so much about democracy, as about prosy issues: wages, education, medicine. There are all chances. Time will show if we are able to use them or not, but there have not been such chances over 16 years», Anatoly Lebedko said.

50% of Belarusians have expectations of a new man, Lebedko

According to the opposition politician, 50% of Belarusians are waiting for a new man. «These expectations should be provided with a person. After all, in 2001, many people voted for Vladimir Goncharik, not because they liked him as a candidate, but because he was a single from opposition. Today, at least ten people have presidential ambitions, but when election campaign starts, all this will shrink to three or four action teams, who will be able to collect 100 thousand signatures for registration. And among them there will begin the negotiation process», Anatoly Lebedko said.

The UCP chairman believes that strategy of Belarus’ overcoming the crisis, carried out in the country today, could seriously shake the image of current president. «Lukashenko uses the only medicine — these are credits. And has a headache about how to return them and where to get new ones. With such an economic strategy, Lukasenko to get into a mess if not this year, then six months later», Anatoly Lebedko said.

That’s why, according to one of the opposition leaders, in the case of winning the elections, first steps of new government should be made in economy. Including, taking not very popular decisions.

«Lukashenko created a model of economy, which works only using a drug — cheap energy. But he did not create the main — a competitive economy, and this should be done by new government. One of the program points — in three years we’ll create a millions of new jobs. And if it is done, then we will have people’s confidence, and thus a chance for change», the UCP head summed up.