BCD’s decision concerning the way of its involvement in the next local elections campaign
In
early November 2013 the Belarusian Christian Democracy’s National Council took
the decision concerning the way of BCD’s involvement in the next local
elections campaign. The local elections are due to take place before 24 March
2014.
The BCD takes into
consideration the following facts:
–Political prisonersin Belarus and absence of
rehabilitation of freed political prisoners;
–
New political prisoners during 2013 (such as Andrei Haidukou, Uladzimir
Yaromenak; imprisonment of thepriest Uladzislau Lazar);
–
Renewed use of criminal charges under Article 193/1 of the Criminal Code (Aliaksei Shchadrou) ;
–
Pursuit of local activists, pressure and threats by the KGB on activists acting
on behalf of unregistered organisations (including BCD members Aleh
Aksionau, Tatsiana Shambalava, Zhanna Shcharbinina, etc.);
–
As well as many other facts of gross violations of human rights and repressive
actions taken by the state authorities against citizens of the Republic of
Belarus.
Given
the inability of the authorities to solve all the above mentioned issues before
the local elections we declare the following:
The
upcoming “elections” to the local councils are neither free nor fair.We recognise any of their
results as illegitimate.
However,
in the absence of thelower
threshold ofelection turnout, we
consider acceptable to conduct information campaigns through the nomination of
candidates at the “elections”.
The
BCD plans to nominate not less than 230 candidates across the country, who will
conduct the information campaign, as well as the election observation campaign
“The Right to Choose” together with other democratic forces.
We
call upon all democratic organisations in Belarus to use the opportunity of the
local elections campaign in 2014 to work with the Belarusian citizens in order
to create regional democratic councils of people’s deputies as an alternative
to the appointed “deputies” in the local councils. Those regional
councils of people’s deputies should be the true representatives and defenders
of persons living in every town and village.
The
main objective of the democratic forces in Belarus should be the consolidation
of the citizens for protection against lawlessness in the economic, social and
political spheres.
