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Prominent opposition figures call for boycott of parliamentary elections

A group of prominent opposition politicians have called for a boycott of next year's parliamentary elections.

In their statement, the politicians accuse the Belarusian government of rigging December's presidential election and claim that Alyaksandr Lukashenka in fact did not gain enough votes for first-round victory.

The statement recalls the authorities' brutal crackdown on the December 19 post-election demonstration and the detention of key opposition figures on charges related to the protest.

The politicians call for a nationwide campaign of disobeying and shunning the authorities. "Amid a worsening economic situation and a rise of anti-government sentiments, it would make the regime completely illegitimate in the eyes of the Belarusians. A boycott of the coming parliamentary elections must become part of the campaign," the statement says.

The politicians emphasize the importance of distributing truthful information about the situation in the country. "We must react to all of the authorities' mistakes at all levels, explain to people how their rights are violated and how they can be defended, communicate information about our events and further actions [to people]," the statement says.

"More than a year is left before the parliamentary elections. We have every chance of conducting an efficient boycott campaign, isolating the authorities and forcing them to immediately release political prisoners and begin talks with the opposition camp about holding free elections," the politicians say.

The statement has been signed by Stanislaw Shushkevich, Belarus' first formal head of state who leads the Belarusian Social Democratic Hramada; Yawhen Afnahel and Pavel Marynich, coordinators of a group called European Belarus; Viktar Ivashkevich, a leader of the organizing committee for a group called Belarusian Movement; and former presidential candidate Alyaksandr Kazulin. //BelaPAN