English

Zyanon Paznyak reelected as chairman of Conservative Christian Party

 

Zyanon Paznyak was reelected as chairman of the Conservative Christian Party (CCP) at the party’s 9th convention held at the Culture Palace of the Minsk Tractor Works on Saturday.

Yury Belenki and Syarhey Papkow were reelected as deputy chairmen.

As many as 117 CPP members had been delegated to the convention and 88 of them attended the event.

Participants heard reports by Messrs. Paznyak and Belenki, formed the CCP Soym (Council) of 36 people and adopted several resolutions, including a resolution on the economic situation in Belarus, which says that the current crisis was caused by the government’s incompetence, and that Alyaksandr Lukashenka should immediately step down to make way for more competent politicians.

In another resolution, the CCP demanded that the government should abandon its plans to build a nuclear power plant.

The convention also adopted a resolution in defense of the Belarusian language and national culture, and an appeal to democratic countries, which says that the Belarusian people have long been deprived of the opportunity to democratically elect their leaders, and urges the international community not to support the Lukashenka regime.

The 67-year-old Paznyak has been living outside Belarus since April 1996, when he fled the country after authorities issued a warrant for his arrest in connection with his role in street protests against President Lukashenka’s pro-Russian policies.

In the period between May 1990 and January 1996, Mr. Paznyak was a member of the Supreme Soviet (parliament), where he headed the group of the Belarusian Popular Front (BPF).

In 1994, Mr. Paznyak was a candidate in a relatively free and fair presidential election. Out of the six candidates on the ballot in the first round, he came third with 12.9 percent of the vote after Alyaksandr Lukashenka with 44.8 percent and Vyachaslaw Kebich with 17.3 percent.

In 1999, the Belarusian Popular Front's radical wing led by Mr. Paznyak split from the main BPF to found the Conservative Christian Party of the BPF. The new party claimed to be the only true BPF successor and did not recognize the "other" BPF. It also distanced itself from the rest of Belarus’ opposition groups and labeled them as the "regime’s accomplices" for the lack of action against the threat of Belarus’ incorporation into Russia, and dependence on Western grants. // BelaPAN