About the Belarusan roundtable at the European Parliament

Belarusan roundtable at the European Parliament

The most ambitious and resonant event on the recent election and the situation in Belarus, was held in the European Parliament on October 17.

The roundtable was organized by MEP Marek Migalski. The event was attended by 12 speakers from Belarus: political parties’ and political movements’, Belarusan organizations’ representatives, being forced to work outside Belarus, and former political prisoners Dmitry Bondarenko and Sergey Kovalenko. In addition, a report was made the head of the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission Antonio Milososki.

The main issue of the round table was the unfortunate situation for the activities of opposition structures in Belarus. The speakers talked a lot of different obstacles put by the government. Participants of the election campaign talked about the problems and violations in the course of the campaign. Expats and former prisoners told about their personal impressions.

The head of the Election Observation Mission, in his turn, drew attention to the weakness of the party system in Belarus and the insignificance of the role that can be played by political parties under the current regime. Public associations, in his opinion, have more opportunities for activities. Antonio Milososki also stressed that the observers did not record a mass elections’ boycott. Rather, the question was not about the active boycotting position, but the low interest in the election campaign and absence of the population’s motivation.

The solution to the participants’ problems is seen by them in the regime change. However, no specific proposals have been formulated. The co-chairman of the organizing committee of the Belarusan Christian Democracy Vital Rymasheuski announced the intention of BCD to carry out "election without Lukashenko", relying on the power of low regime support among the population, which was allegedly demonstrated by the low turnout at the last parliamentary election. Although it remained completely unclear how the implementation of the alternative election was to take place under the current Belarusan situation described by the speakers. After all, the Belarusan authorities have almost unlimited control over the electoral process.

In the end of the roundtable, representatives of Belarus signed the "Brussels Declaration". The signatories called on the EU to intensify support for democratization in Belarus. Unfortunately, no activity-related plans that the EU could support, no specific proposals to adjust the actions that the EU already provides for assistance to Belarus were pronounced during the round table.