Mikalai Statkevich, a former political prisoner and presidential candidate-2010, held a meeting with voters in Minsk on Wednesday. About a thousand people turned up; even incumbent president Alyaksandr Lukashenka was invited, but, as one might expect, failed to appear. It is him whom Statkevich’s pointed questions are addressed to:
Is he going to rule till the last? Where are abducted politicians? Is he ready to sacrifice the country on the altar of his own benefit? What for is Russification being carried out? Opposition politicians Mikalai Statkevich, Uladzimir Nyaklyayeu and Anatol Lyabedzka invited to presidential candidate Lukashenka to the rally in the Freedom Square so that the latter could answer answer these and other sticky questions. But Lukashenka did not show up.
Mikalai Statkevich:
“We are completely deprived of voting rights, they should be won back, fear should be reduced. We must fight for the territory of freedom while this campaign is in progress and he [Lukashenka] is still playing this game of legitimacy. <..> We will also have to work with this scared society after the elections.”
Opposition leaders urged people to ignore the elections and not to come to the polling stations – as a matter of fact, the head of state did not come to the meeting with his voters either! The main thing is not the elections, but the period before the next election campaign which will determine the future will of the whole country, not only the presidency, Uladzimir Nyaklyayeu says.
Uladzimir Nyaklyayeu:
“These years are critical. They are critical for Lukashenka – he realizes it, and that is why he is so bothered now. These years are also critical for Belarus and each of us. Thus, there is no other way to attract people and explain to them what is going on in the country.”
There were only a few uniformed law enforcement officers at the rally. They drew up a protocol upon the organizers of the unsanctioned ‘mass event’. The opposition politicians refused to sign the protocol. Despite the fact that nearly a thousand persons turned up at the biggest rally of the current election campaign, no one was arrested.
Interesingly, other presidential candidates (Tatsiana Karatkevich, Mikalai Ulakhovich, Syarhei Haydukevich) were not present at the event either. The organizers are inviting Belarusians to next meetings with voters – on October, 4 and October, 10, on the eve of the presidential election.
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