During Tuesday’s press conference, Aleh Haydukevich announced his decision to withdraw from the 2020 presidential race.
Aleh Haydukevich, a leader the Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus, took over the job of his father. Syarhei Haydukevich, a ‘veteran campaigner’ and Lukashenka’s longstanding sparrer, was running for presidency in 2001, 2006, and 2015.
“I consider presidential elections a process that should unite the country, not divide it. Under these circumstances, my political ambitions are inferior to [the gravity of] the situation in the country,” he said.
According to Haydukevich, 30,000 signatures have been already collected for his nomination. But still, he steps down and urges compatriots to vote for Alyaksandr Lukashenka whom he calls ‘the only guarantor of the unity of Belarus’.
“I call on everyone to go to the polls and vote for the incumbent president. I cannot be a whore, I will stand up for my views and convictions,” the politician said.
He says he is not about to quit the election campaign completely and declares he will play ‘a different role’ in it. When asked whether he would like to become Lukashenka’s election agent, the politician evaded the answer.
“I am not going to play a role assigned by someone. I will be acting in the interests of the country and those of the party,” he added.
Last week, the Belarusian Central Election Commission (CEC) registered 15 of 55 initiative groups. It means that over a dozen wannabe candidates got the green light for collecting signatures to be nominated for the 2020 presidential run. There are both establishment and moderate opposition politicians among them.
To officially become a presidential candidate, a contender must get 100,000 signatures for his/her nomination. The initiative groups are to be engaged in collecting signatures from May, 21 to June, 19. The names of the candidates will be announced in mid July, and the election will be held on August, 9.
Belsat.eu
