Belarusan opposition discussed “lessons” of the latest local elections

The representatives of opposition politicians together with experts met in Minsk lat week to share the conclusions drawn from last month's local elections.

Viktor Korneenko, a leader of the Campaign for Fair Elections and activist of the United Civil Party called for the opposition to reach out more actively to members of precinct election commissions.

"Sometimes they don’t understand what they're doing and sometimes they are simply hiding behind the scenery created by the authorities," he said. "It helps them feel that they are not part of vote fraud, they simply count their piles and feel that they have nothing to do with the rest."

"All of us advocate unity, but it should be specific and true. The opposition needs to pool not only its intellectual potential but specific things, such as people and resources, and do so more openly," said the politician.

Siarhei Kaliakin, leader of the Spravedlivy Mir (Just World) Belarusian Party of the Left, warned that the opposition camp would never achieve its goals unless the public became more active. "The creation and development of the Belarusian Popular Front attracted much discussion. Some supported it, others condemned it, but it was clear that it was a true movement that influenced the country's political life. A politician who will manage to cause such commotion in society will achieve success. Only this will allow the opposition to go beyond a ghetto of selfless activists. There are too few of them now to change the situation," he said.

Anatol Liabedzka, leader of the United Civil Party, said that more people should be involved in politics. "If the opposition's strength and quality remain unchanged, it will be difficult to set any ambitious goals for 2015," he acknowledged. "That means that we need to formulate better the agenda of changes that we need to communicate to people and think about tools of communicating the message, because the authorities create as many obstacles to communication as possible."

According to the press service of the United Civil Party