Response to Lukashenka’s opponent: No chance to make changes in election campaign
Lidziya Yarmoshina, Chairwoman of the Belarusian Central Election Commission, has given a comment on former political prisoner Mikalai Statkevich’s statement of the need of ‘winding the election campaign back’ to state-run newspaper Sovetskaya Byelorussia [Soviet Belarus] on Tuesday.
“I do not know what ‘winding elections back’ is, I do not understand. This is not a film. The proper events are in progress, they were approved by the parliament,”Yarmoshyna said.
Asked if she is happy about the release of Mr Statkevich, head of the CEC said: “As far as his release is concerned, one can be happy about the freedom of each person. I believe that any normal person rejoices at soneone’s [freedom] if the latter has not done anything wrong.”
It is to be recalled that on Saturday Belarusian president Alyaksandr Lukashenka decided to pardon six political prisoners ‘in keeping with the principle of humanism’.
In his interview to Belsat TV, Mikalai Statkevich, a presidential canfdidate in 2010 and former political prisoner, announced his intention to ‘wind back’ the election campain-2015. “Voting at such election [organised by pro-Lukashenka officials] does not make sense. We must demand a normal election, with the registration of candidates. I was deprived of the rights, my initiative group was illegally denied registration. My people warned: what if Statkevich will be released? Now I am released. They did have the right to collect signatures. I believe that my rights were violated, and I’m going to demand the cancellation of the election and seek to return to the beginning of the electoral process. I will talk about it loudly and publicly, and I hope other voters join me.”
The presidential election is to be held on October 11, 2015.
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Lidziya Yarmoshyna is notorious for loyalty to Alyaksandr Lukashenka and throwing abrupt remarks at his opponents. After the 2010 post-election protest action she harshly criticised Belarusian women: ”You’d better stay at home and cook borshch! Is there nothing better for you but to hang around the squares? This would never come to my mind. It is a shame for a woman to take part in such actions.”
On December 19, 2010 the authorities detained 8 presidential candidates, many people were beaten by police. On December 20 Lukashenka announced the arrest of 639 persons and confirmed that the nominees for the presidency were questioned in prison by the KGB.
