Opposition targets maximum signatures, while officials are satisfied with the minimum
Despites threats from the opposition camp to boycott the September 28 parliamentary elections, aspirants both from pro-democracy forces and the government do not waste their time and collect signatures from the public to be nominated as candidates.
Yaraslau Bernikovich, a member of the opposition Party of the Belarusian Popular Front, is taking the lead with over 3500 signatures already gathered in his support.
“I have already got over 3500 signatures. In the first four days, I gathered 1000. It has never happened before. I collect signatures since 1999 and it would be 1300-1350. Now I am really impressed! This is only in Glybokaye. The constituency also includes the Dokshytski district. We have not yet begun collecting there”, says Bernikovich.
While Bernikovich wants to collect more, MP Siarhei Kastsian has decided to take a break at this stage of the campaign after having collected 1500 signatures. He has already started rallying.
Siarhei Kastsian: “I am doing it as a representative of my constituency. When registration kicks off, I will not be allowed to do so. For now, I do it as part of the officially approved schedule of a member of parliament”.
Mikola Statkevich, the coordinator of the European Coalition, told the European Radio for Belarus that 36 out 63 members of the coalition had already gathered the necessary 1000 signatures. According to the politician, the rest were likely follow the case. But hurdles do exist. A coalition candidate in Navapolatsk had to withdraw because of pressure at his work place.
“In the Brest region, in Baranavichy people are intimidated at work place. People are told that if they sign for members of European Coalition, they will have problems at work. In Babruisk, Taisia Kabanchuk from our coalition list was fired. In Hrodna, candidates are summoned to the KGB or Department for Financial Fraud as in Mahilyou”, Mikola Statkevich complains.
Siarhei Kalyakin, the chairman of the Belarusian Party of Communists, has gathered over 2500 signatures without any problems or pressure from the government and says he will not stop with this figure.
According to Anatol Liabedzka, the leader of the opposition United Civic Party, he is so much confident in his strength that does not really follow how many signatures have already been gathered. He says he is more interested in the constituencies where other UCP candidates have problems with collecting signatures in their support. As for hurdles, he would be alerted if everything would be smooth, Liabedzka says.
“Of course, the pressure is there! But I think that this is a permanent problem. During the electoral campaign, the pressure naturally rises. In Hrodna, officials approach parents whose children work in the group of Yaraslau Ramanchun, saying students could have problems in universities. Another story is about the July 4 blast. At least one third of our people were summoned to KGB and asked to leave their fingerprints. Now they do it after 1800. In Hrodna again, people leave the house where they were collecting signatures only to be met by KGB agents”, Liabdzka narrates.
The European Radio for Belarus also tried to find out if Siarhei Zabalotski, the deputy chairman of the House of Representatives, has plans to run for the next parliament. According to his aide Uladzimir Valeiski, it is still early to talk about it. If his boss decides to run for a seat in the parliament, he would be nominated by a working collective. Given that no signatures are needed to be nominated this way, there is no need to hurry, indeed.
