Viktar Babaryka’s team announced their intention to get a political party registered. However, they have not provided any additional information yet.
“We do have such a plan. We cannot go into detail yet, because it is a long and complicated process,” Maryia Kalesnikava, a coordinator at the campaign office, said.
According to her, it is premature to talk about teaming up with other presidential hopefuls, but the office started to hold negotiating with representatives of certain initiative groups.
The main criterion is ‘coinciding in values’, she stressed. One should wait until July 14; on this day, the Central Election Commission is expected to reveal the names of registered presidential candidates, Kalesnikava added.
On June 18, former banker Viktar Babaryka and his son Eduard (head of his campaign office) were arrested and taken to the KGB prison; their house and flat were searched. According to official information, Viktar Babaryka is charged under Part 2 Article 235 (Legalisation (‘laundering’) of proceeds of crime), Part 2. 243 (tax evasion, causing damage on a large scale) and part 2 of Article 431 (repeated bribery on a large scale) of the Criminal Code of Belarus. Eduard Babaryka is charged under Part 2 Article 243 of the Criminal Code (Tax evasion on a large scale).
Moreover, the authorities arrested and jailed Svyatlana Kupreyeva, Babaryka’s friend and member of his initiative group; personal assistant Alena Karahachova; Uladzimir Dudarau, a coordinator in Mahiliou region, and campaigner Dzmitry Karaka.
All of them were recognised as political prisoners by Belarusian human rights defenders.
