Co-Chair of United Democratic Forces, Anatoly Lebedko, at a press conference in Minsk on April 27 stated that they "should thank the authorities for the fact that by such local elections they created conditions for serious negotiations between the opposition". According to the opposition politician, the United Civil Party made a right choice, officially refusing to participate in local elections campaign.
«The party congress adopted a politically correct decision, renouncing to participate in local councils elections. The local elections are non-alternative — the situation is almost Soviet, elections without political competition, elections, where there is no counting of votes, elections without any prospects», the chairman of the UCP said.
According to Anatoly Lebedko, opposition’s non-participation in such campaigns is the «weakness of authorities». «UDF must put political ultimatum: we must demand to return to consider a bill on amending the Electoral code, drafted by our experts. We must demand a guaranteed inclusion of opposition representatives into election commissions and legitimize control mechanism of votes counting», the opposition politician declared, UCP website informs.
«If the authorities refuse, we must assume the moral and political obligation: to participate in all stages of the presidential campaign, but to withdraw our candidate at the finish line. And let Lukashenko with Gaidukevich (chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus, Sergei Gaidukevich, who creates New Belarus — Unity bloc — Telegraf) share 80% of the votes as they want. We can neither live nor work like this», Anatoly Lebedko said.
There was no even a semblance of elections, Lebedko
According to UCP chairman, it is time to abandon «all sorts of messages to the international community and make a specific address: loans in exchange for free elections». «If there are free elections — there will be free mass media, competition and everything else», the politician stressed.
Despite the fact that «there was no even a semblance of elections during local campaign», Anatoly Lebedko thanked Belarusian authorities.
«I am satisfied with this campaign …These elections demonstrated the failure of that part of the opposition, which thought: if suck up to power — our candidates let be the deputies», co-chairman of the UDF said, adding that by such elections, the authorities created conditions for serious negotiations between the opposition. «There has appeared a hope that we can better consolidate the opposition», Anatoly Lebedko summed up.
