We shouldn’t wait 2011

• 23.05.2008, 12:32

“We can demonstrate in this year already that Lukashenka’s dictatorship is naked, that people do not support either him or his so-called “chamber”. Observation of the number of voters should be done only on polling day,” the coordinator of the Charter’97 Zmitser Bandarenka says in an interview to Radio Svaboda journalist Volha Karatkevich.

- Zmitser, what’s the general idea of the opposition strategy offered by you?

- Until March 1 a strategy of dialogue was acting. The opposition had extended a hand to the regime. And the regime hit on that hand with a police truncheon, new political prisoners appeared, repressions have intensified.

In this situation we should chance approach, we should change the rhythm. That is why I have proposed a strategy of active counteraction to the dictatorship, which includes boycott of the election farce, boycott of Lukashenka’s regime in the international arena and an individual boycott of the dictatorship.

- Please say why this move has been chosen? It is completely different from what have taken place before. Once you said that cooperation with the regime should be supported.

- You know, we all see the “dialogue” between the governments of the US and Belarus at the international level. The sides have agreed on something, and then one of the sides breaks the agreements and starts to act without rules, and then changes in the strategy take place.

- Whom do you mean?

- I mean strengthening of economic sanctions by the US, as an example. A similar situation was in the internal dialogue. There was a hope that the regime would react in a positive way to our proposal. There was certain advance in some directions. Five political prisoners were released. If Kazulin was released before March 1, the situation could be completely different. But we have what we have, and a new strategy is needed.

We have election in the so-called “chamber of representatives” soon. And if we participate in the scenario of the regime, there won’t be any result.

- It is clear that the regime has its plan. What other strategies could be?

- My proposal is an active boycott. We shouldn’t wait to the year 2011, we can demonstrate this year already that dictatorship is naked, that people do not support either him or his so-called “chamber”.

It is well-known that people are to be forced to take part in early vote in any way. All dictatorships use early vote for rigging election results. So observation over the number of voters should be done only on polling day.

- It is unrealistic in Belarus!

- It is realistic in Belarus. To count a number of voters at one of polling stations who have come on the polling day is rather simple. There will be international and home observers. This will be the real number of voters who have taken part in the vote. As long as most Belarusians do not recognize the so-called chamber of representatives a parliament, there is little interest to this election. And if the opposition won’t take part in the vote, and there will be a call for boycott, there will be minimal turnout.

We shouldn’t take part in legitimization of the “chamber”. Party leaders have said that even if one person would be elected to the so-called parliament, they would be able to control the executive power. I believe that at in real election representatives of the democratic parties could have won more than 50% of votes and have majority of seats in the parliament. If democrats agree to one or two persons, these people would be named by dictator Lukashenka. I am totally against it.

- Once a boycott was offered by Zyanon Paznyak party. And it was met very disapprovingly, and by the Charter’97 as well.

- I want to say that in 2000 we had completely identical approaches: both the approach of honourable Zyanon Paznyak and the approach of the Coordinating Council of the Democratic Forces, which member the Charter’97 was then. As far as I know, Zyanon Paznyak favours the boycott of the ‘parliamentary’ election today too.

- Do the 12 conditions of the European Union influence the situation in our country?

- Undoubtedly, as it is an impossible situation when Lukashenka wants to receive credits, investment, technologies from the West, and at the same time crackdown on his democratic, pro-European opposition is taking place. That is why it is so important not to participate in the plan of the regime, when one or two persons appointed by Lukashenka will travel around the world saying: “Everything is fine, we have a democracy, look, we are in the parliament”. We already have Volha Abramava, who had been presented as the most active democrat of Belarus, a member of a democratic party “Yabloko”. And what was the result of that?

- But not all agree to your proposal.

- I respect to party leaders greatly, but sometimes they are mistaken. I would like to remind elections to the so-called “chamber of representatives” in 2004, when representatives of the civil society called upon a protest against the false election, and leaders of the democratic parties (except Statkevich) opposed that. But for the whole week in 2004 people were gathering and protesting. And it was a model and a rehearsal of the Square-2006. And later party leaders agreed that active protests should be organized indeed. And they shouldn’t just say: the election is over, we are going home. A discussion will help to find the best solution.

(An abridged version)