Mikalai Statkevich organized a meeting with voters in Minsk

euroradio.fm

Ex-political prisoner and former presidential candidate gathered about half a thousand people at Svabody Square under the flags of the EU and independent Belarus.

Some 400 people attended a so-called voter rally that opposition leaders held in Minsk’s downtown Svabody Square on Wednesday evening.

Participants included former presidential candidates Mikalai Statkevich and Uladzimir Niakliaeu; Anatoly Liabedzka, chairman of the United Civic Party; Paval Sieviarynec, co-chairman of Belarusian Christian Democracy; Viachaslau Siuchyk, leader of an opposition group called Razam (Together); and Maksim Viniarski, a representative of European Belarus.

Mikalai Statkevich had invited incumbent president Aliaksandr Lukashenka to attend the rally to report on his performance to common voters, BelaPAN reminds. Statkevich has prepared five pointed questions to Aliaksandr Lukashenka, who, just as expected, didn’t appear at the meeting.

Statkevich accused Lukashenka of holding on to power with no regard for people`s will, ordering the abduction of his opponents, putting Belarus’ independence in jeopardy by his policies and Russianizing the Belarusian nation.

Statkevich suggested that Lukashenka was avoiding meetings with voters because of fear. “Common voters can not only say but also do something unpleasant,” he said.

Statkevich described Lukashenka as a criminal "who should be in the dock" and poured scorn on attempts to pass the Belarusian regime off as democratic and patriotic.

According to him, Lukashenka staged a coup 16 years ago and has been illegitimate since then.

Statkevich called on people to gather in Svabody Square again on October 10, the last day of the campaigning stage in the presidential race, to pose their questions to Lukashenka if he showed up.

Let us recall that for the previous meeting with voters, which was held in Minsk on September 10, the court fined Mikalai Statkevich 7 million 200 thousand rubles (about $409) under the pretense that the rally was unauthorized, Belsat informed.

Earlier yesterday, in an interview with Euroradio, the CEC chairwoman Lidzia Jarmoshyna said that the dispersal of Statkevich’s rally would have a negative impact on the assessment of the presidential elections.