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Andzelika Borys has announced her intention to step down as the leader of the Warsaw-backed “unofficial” Union of Poles in Belarus (UPB). When reached by BelaPAN, Ms. Borys confirmed her plans to leave the position. The activist said that she had made the decision "for personal reasons" but did not elaborate.
As Andrzej Poczobut, chairman of the UPB Main Council, told BelaPAN, Ms. Borys made her decision public while meeting with UPB members in Hrodna on June 12.
The UPB Main Council will meet on June 19 to discuss the leader's resignation. "We are all a bit shocked at this decision and many members of the Union of Poles will ask Borys to stay in the position of the organization's chairwoman. Maybe our requests will make her change her mind," Mr. Poczobut said.
Ms. Borys was elected leader of the UPB in March 2005, but the Belarusian justice ministry declared her election illegitimate. The ministry alleged that there were irregularities in the nomination of delegates, and violations of the UPB charter during the convention. At a government-orchestrated repeat convention held a few months later, a new leader was elected.
Ms. Borys and her supporters contested the vote, accusing the government of installing loyal people at the UPB helm. As a result of the dispute, the organization split in two, with the Belarusian authorities refusing to recognize the "unofficial" UPB and subjecting its members to pressure.
The Polish government still regards Ms. Borys as the legitimate leader of the Union. Many of the UPB members, including its founder Tadeusz Gawin, also refused to recognize the new leader, siding with Ms. Borys. The latter was reelected to another four-year term in March 2009.
A Belarusian-Polish commission was established earlier this year to try to resolve the dispute but has not held a meeting since March.