Opposition candidates ready to breach party discipline
Although the leadership of the Belarusian Popular Front has announced its principal intention to withdraw all the candidates on September 23, not all ranking members agree with this decision. Ivan Shega, a party activist in Slonim, has announced that he will run for a MP mandate at odds with his party decisions. The European Radio for Belarus explores whether such acts are in line with the principles of party discipline.
According to Ivan Shega, a majority of the party’s council has decided in favor of withdrawing candidates from the campaign. But, he allegedly has a possibility of evading this decision and sticking to the discipline rules at the same time.
“On the one hand, party discipline means party discipline. But there is a provision in the council’s resolution that allows a candidate to continue running if he or she has good chances and when special conditions are in place”, Ivan Shega says.
Allegedly, he has those special conditions in place.
“My nomination group comprised 50 people, including not only party members but also friends or people from the other parties. We did not expect us to be registered. But since we got registered, everyone was excited to work. Therefore, I have certain obligations before those people. I must take their wishes into account, not just my personal desires or the desires of my party. They want me to go to the end. A significant majority of voters also want to come and vote for me. Many people want to vote in protest, so if I withdraw there will be only a pro-government candidate running. The third candidate was withdrawn before”.
Shega says that he was not the only one during the party’s congress to speak out in favor of taking part in the elections to the end. Therefore, it is still early to put a definite answer to what decision the Popular Front will take. Moreover, the Political Council of the United Pro-Democracy Forces will announce its final decision on September 21. If the party announces the pull out from the elections while he sticks to his position, he will even be ready to suspend his membership.
Popular Front leader Lyavon Barscheuski declined a comment on the statement of the activist in Slonim in terms of the party discipline.
“I don’t want to comment on rumors. If the party adopts a resolution, it will come into force on September 23. Only after this date, one can talk about whether someone breaches the discipline or not”, Barshceuski said.
The European Radio for Belarus also asked former Popular Front deputy chairman Ales Mikhalevich if the party discipline can really affect the personal plans of ordinary members.
“On the one hand, one could talk about the party discipline. On the other hand, the candidates also voted during the congress. Almost 2/3 of them voted against the withdrawal. In my view, the party should have listened to the will of the candidates”, Mikhalevich says.
Moreover, when taking the decision about the withdrawal, the party leadership knew that most of the registered candidates would not wish to obey, according to Mikhalevich.
“I think disobedience is bad. But this situation reminds what is taking place across the country. When laws are passed, it is already known that they will not be implemented. The decision to withdraw candidates was exactly the same kind of decision-making, when the party leaders knew that it would not be followed by a significant part of the candidates”.
It seems that if on September 21 the Political Council of the United Pro-Democracy Forces decides to withdraw its candidates from the elections, part of the candidates are likely to disobey and to suspend their membership in order to stay in the parliamentary race.
