the Election of the President of Belarus will be held on August 9, the President of the Republic Alexander Lukashenko will be re-elected for the sixth time. For this he is even the danger of coronavirus is trying to wrap in its favor, strongly demonstrating its superiority over the infection. While his opponents, he gave only a month to collect 100 thousand signatures, without which they will not allow to participate in elections. One of the candidates in candidates in presidents of Belarus, head of the movement “Tell the truth!” Andrey Dmitriev told “MK” in the country to assess the behavior of Lukashenka, and what will happen to the country if it once again will win:
– “Tell the truth!” I’m heading for the last 10 years, nominated their candidates for the presidency twice, in 2010 and 2015. Thus in 2015, our candidate Tatsyana Karatkevich received over a million votes. Then we said that we weren’t going to stop. We keep our word. Now, in terms of the coronavirus pandemic and economic crisis, which obviously will only increase, it is especially important. It is essential to join the presidential race to become not just another re-election of Alexander Lukashenko and the struggle for the interests of the people, to ensure that the government did not give the Belarusians a one-on-one with the crisis.
you Have already formed a pre-election program?
– This is not our first campaign for the presidency, so the program we have. Of course, we will revise based on today’s realities, because today is about the big plans to say is just silly. You need to talk about specific measures in respect of people who will help them survive the crisis with minimal losses. First of all, we’re talking about that we need real welfare state. This means that the state should be responsible for people in this difficult time. For example, if a person loses his job, he should not get a decree on parasitism and increased communal and unemployment benefits, and the opportunity to obtain a new profession and support for the training, including, we are talking about the freezing of utility boards and so on. In addition, if the Belarusian pensioner finds a job as pensions it is not enough, it is removed 20% of the pension. It’s not fair. We ensure that the Belarusians did not leave to work abroad, so that normal job and salary in the Republic was not only for policemen and officials, but for everyone. In the political part we achieve the direct election of heads of cities that taxes remained on the ground, and the budgets were as transparent as possible.
– it is important For you to win presidential elections or to bring the position of the “Tell the truth!”?
– In the Belarusian conditions the word “win” is multifaceted. In 2017, we were able to achieve a decree of self-employment, now, if a person bakes cakes at home and selling them to survive, its not fined as an illegal entrepreneur, and praise. I’m going to achieve such victories, which will work for people and after 9 August. On the day of presidential elections in Belarus did not end, perhaps, on the contrary, all only begins. I will do everything to win specific people. While Belarus is in crisis, and the authorities say “understand”. Is unfair.
How difficult is it to register a presidential candidate, and how many people it will, in your opinion?
– I will Not speculate on the number, but the purpose of the election during an epidemic… And in this we disagree with the government dramatically. Lukashenko believes that there is only “coronation”, and I’m talking about the full coronaridine, which is expressed in particular in the inability of the government to make effective decisions and take responsibility for their consequences. Today, may 12, we refer to the Ministry of health a petition with the signatures of 2.5 thousand people, which require agencies to announce the full figures for the coronavirus and cancel the subscription about nondisclosure, which gave the doctors. In our view, the announced and the actual data on the number of cases and deaths from coronavirus in Belarus differ significantly. Obviously, that will register a small number of candidates. The main problem is that during the month the candidate has to collect 100 thousand signatures in his support. It is difficult even to imagine how we are going to do it. Imagine that in the context of the epidemic, our volunteers will go from door to door. We have developed an algorithm for remote capture of signatures: first, we will call the inhabitants of the country, and then, if the person is willing to support me, it come to the volunteer. Personal contact will be minimized. It is still unclear whether at least someone to collect 100 thousand signatures.
You have already started to collect signatures?
– In this Friday, may 15, we submitted our initiative group. In the next 5 days, the CEC will register, and only then can you start collecting signatures. In “Tell the truth!” about a thousand people, and the initiative group will include about 2-2,5 thousand people. Generally there is a very important point: the appointment of the election on August 9, the government proved that to her this day do not need no one at all. People will only interfere to re-elect Lukashenka for the sixth time. Observers have long mingled, and now the voters have turned out to be superfluous, so the elections are decided to spend in the summer, when most will be in the country. In fact, the power of social distanciruemsa from society, but you pay for it people.
– How high trust rating Lukashenko in Belarus?
In 2016 Belarus defeated the last independent sociological Agency, with t��x then none of the President’s rating measures. Official figures of course there is no trust. But on personal feelings, he had no great authority. For example, the authorities are encouraged to send their children to school with the beginning of the fourth quarter. Came only 20% of children. In fact, it was the people’s vote of confidence. The second example is of a Victory parade. The audience was several times less, than last year. That is, people see that the authorities live in a parallel reality, and take care of themselves.
In Russia, some experts say that for Moscow it would be better if Lukashenka lost the presidential election. In General, this option exists? I understand that as a candidate you must believe in their victory, but could it be that after his victory will begin mass protests and so on?
– not Yet seen any reason to protest. Still, it needs not only the national outrage but also a split in the elites. Otherwise, we can turn to Venezuela, where protesting endlessly, the country is, as they say, in one place, but nothing changes. Same fate for Belarus does not want any citizen, no matter which side it is.
I as a candidate will fight for every vote. I believe we have a chance to bring to the polls a very large part of society that wants an alternative to Lukashenko. I often write: “in the past politics was not interesting to me, but now that my husband is sitting with closed borders and waiting for their opening to quickly go to work in Russia or Poland, because there is no money, I understand that it is necessary to change something”. In addition, many have accumulated fatigue from Lukashenka for the years of his reign.
– it Is believed that the re-election for a sixth consecutive presidential term the person must demonstrate some superhuman quality. Accordingly, Lukashenka is trying to use for this coronavirus: the whole world is suffering, and in Belarus “tolerable”. This strategy finds Lukashenko’s support among Belarusians?
– it seems to Me that this strategy finds support in the first place, among the Russians. In comments under a video of the Victory parade the replica of the aliens are clearly visible. At the same time Belarusians chose to celebrate a great date in the family circle. The main thing for Belarus is a peaceful sky over your head and wealth. With the first everything is fine, but the second, especially last year, is very difficult. Given the reduction in the Russian market, in the future it will be even harder.
– In your opinion, why Lukashenko is the sixth time why he did not prepare a successor?
– Lukashenka can only be one successor is himself. The whole system of government is built in such a way that he couldn’t trust anyone. In addition, the system is so personal, so dependent from manual control that without Lukashenko, it simply can not work.
– And Lukashenko himself was unable to upgrade the system to reform it?
– For this you need to admit their mistakes. Including, I must say that there are no real social protection, which should reduce the number of officials and their powers and so on. But now the system has reached such a stage that what reform nowhere, she pulls a chain of change. Including in politics, new people come, the society will be politicized, and so forth. The government does not want this. In fact, the task Lukashenko is against any change and the suppression of protests. On the reform of the country he will never speak.
You are the only member of the opposition taking part in elections or is there more candidates?
– No, there are others, but they are focused on those voters who have already decided their opposition sentiment. We work with the Belarusians, who leave the store, counting the money in his wallet, looking at the price tag of graduation and entrance and think “how we can pull this off”, which with horror I think about why the Belarusians should go to work in a small Polish town where the factory is built, and in the same town in the homeland of this plant is not.
– anyone who calls to boycott the elections, and how this position is actually popular?
– There are a number of political forces, which declared its full participation in the presidential race because of the epidemic of the coronavirus. They believe that the risk to human health. We sent to the CEC urging him to provide at the expense of state security of the signature collectors. If they call an election in such a difficult period, shall bear responsibility, including financial.
Generally I wouldn’t say that the idea of a boycott is strong. Another thing is that in society there is a high level of distrust of elections. For perhaps the first time we are faced with a situation where many people simply will not go to the polls. A significant portion of the population believes that the elections is not a tool with which you can change your life for the better. Their tool is not square, and the moving abroad. But in a low trust rating of Lukashenka n need a big turnout. The lack of voters in the real world, can easily be compensated on the paper. Formally, the electoral threshold in the country is 50%, but given the fact that there’s an election, you can draw at least 80%. We have Webcams at the polling stations, there are no uniform voters ‘ lists, which are available for all, but in terms of pandemic coronavirus unlikely to come into the country for foreign observers. Therefore, it is important to protect the interests of the people today and to ensure that Belarusians saw the alternative��have politicians who care not about parades, balls and palaces, but about the people.
