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Elections of freaks

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Elections of freaks
Photo: AFP

There's an old tradition to call elections in Belarus a farce, but it goes beyond all limits this time. Finita la commedia.

Lukashenka has a crisis not only in the economy. Disruption is in the head. His spin doctors have to involve freaks and clowns to solve the problem of the legitimisation of the Belarusian dictator. They cannot find other people for extras.

The 2015 election campaign in Belarus ended on July 16, the day of submitting documents for the registration of initiative groups. The irony is that the 16th day of every month is marked in Belarus as Solidarity Day. Normal people ignored the “elections”.

Who submitted documents to Yarmoshyna-led Central Election Commission? Of course, Lukashenka, who was represented by head of his initiative group with the surname that has a special meaning today – Orda. Next came two former teachers Tatsiana Birukova and Zhanna Ramanouskaya (authorities apparently took into account their political consciousness and activity during the latest “elections”). They were followed by either hobo or social parasite Yury Shulhan; redhead PR specialist Iryna Pershyna; director of tour firm Love Tour Andrei Kanavets; Navapolatsk-based photographer with many children Aliaksandr Yudaeu; permanent leader of the Belarusian communists and member of the Soviet Communist Party since 1977 Siarhei Kaliakin; Tatsiana Karatkevich, a protégée of scandalous Andrei Dzmitryeu from Tell the Truth initiative that poet Uladzimir Niakliaeu recently quit; and permanent backstage actors Siarhei Haidukevich from the Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus and former officer of Lukashenka's administration Viktar Tsiareshchanka.

Events developed by the rules of the genre: a pensioner came to the commission after it closed, someone sent documents by mail, social parasite Shulhan appeared to be drunk, a journalist from BelaPAN news agency wanted to register his cat Barsik.

The democratic opposition ignores these “elections”. Decent people preferred not to participate in another show or supported the nomination of Mikalai Statkevich, a political prisoner and 2010 presidential candidate who was sentenced to 6 years of imprisonment. The step was supposed to attract public attention to the problem of Belarusian political prisoners, but the CEC didn't register the initiative group, which was expected.

The only democratic politician who risked his reputation and didn't fear to join the company of freaks is leader of the United Civil Party Anatol Liabedzka. It is all the more strange because Anatol and I were held in neighbouring cells in the KGB jail after the latest presidential elections.

Let me remind you that independent candidates and members of their teams were arrested after the latest presidential elections. Liabedzka was arrested as the head of Yaraslau Ramanchuk's team, who obtained notoriety after appearing on television next day after the elections and accusing other democratic candidates of all deadly sins. A scandal followed, and Ramanchuk was expelled from the UCP. Anatol Liabedzka was released after 108 days in jail and didn't stand trial. He later admitted the interference of “influential” friends.

We and other inmates were proposed by KGB officers during interrogations that changed torture to sign a cooperation contract and run in the next “elections”, parliamentary and presidential ones. But you mustn't protest, take to streets and urge the West to impose sanctions on the dictatorship, KGB officers said. Lukashenka needs extras.

Extras give the appearance of the electoral process, and it gives hope for legitimacy, which the dictator badly needs to get IMF loans. Anatol Liabedzka participates in the show, creates a polished picture for the West, though political prisoners are still held in prisons and tortured.

I hope conscience and common sense will prevail over personal ambitions, and this politician will join the general boycott of Lukashenka's elections.

However hard the authorities may try to write an untalented and dull scenario of the 2015 presidential campaign, it is already finished. Only people in army barracks and psychiatric hospitals will vote for Lukashenka and his freaks amid crisis and mass layoffs, when plants are closing and wages are declining.

Natallia Radzina, editor-in-chief of charter97.org

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