Anatol Liabedzka, leader of the United Civil Party of Belarus, and Andrey Dzmitriyeu, head of Tell the Truth campaign headquarters, have informed of the alleged failure via Facebook.
According to Anatol Liabedzka, his debate with parliamentary candidate and current peputy Mikalai Samaseyka was to be recorded this morning on state-owned Channel 2 Belarus TV. “But I was told telephonically that the recording cancelled on technical grounds, because of an equipment failure,” he said.
The politician disputes the version above. “Last week my debate with current deputy Sviatlana Shylava was recorded. My speech did not contain any calls for a ballot strike but it is the fact of lack of real elections and parliament that I voiced. Our tough stance was set out. I believe that Mrs Shylava paled into insignificance in our debate. That is why the channel might be organising a special course of speaking on camera or puzzling over dealing with the debates in general and disposing of such a trouble,” Liabedzka said.
Tatsiana Karatkevich, a candidate for deputy supported by Tell the Truth civil campaign also intended to take part in a debate but it was put off by virtue of the same reasoning. She was to have a discussion with Mikalai Savanovich, Head of the Minsk City Deputy Soviet, and Stanislau Bahdankevich, an ex-Head of the National Bank of Belarus and a current UCPB member.
State television promised to hold debates in all Minsk election divisions
On August 9, 2012 Kiryl Kazakou, Director of Television News Agency, told BelTA that Channel 2 Belarus TV was ready to host a maximum number of parliamentary debates – in all 20 election divisions of the capital. The only thing that bothered the administration was that “there might be no takers in some of them.” But he assured that the debates will be of great interest to all people.
Belsat
