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Organizers of «Narodny Skhod» rallies launch boycott campaign ahead of parliamentary elections

People's representatives elected during "Narodny Skhod" (People's Assembly) rallies at the end of last year have launched a campaign of actively boycotting the "imitation of elections" to the "puppet House of Representatives" scheduled for September, Viktar Ivashkevich, one of the main organizers of the rallies, told BelaPAN.

At their meeting on January 14, the authorized representatives of residents of 14 Belarusian cities concluded that economic and political situation was deteriorating throughout the country, Mr. Ivashkevich said. Authorities have ignored all economic demands in Narodny Skhod resolutions and proven incapable of protecting the Belarusian people against poverty, he said.

The government is determined to continue full-scale ballot-rigging, and responsible citizens cannot take part in this electoral farce, Mr. Ivashkevich stressed.

He said that the campaigners would promote measures to overcome the current social, economic and political crisis and demand freedom for all political prisoners, fair elections and the abolition of the system of fixed-term employment contracts.

"We will also take part in a nationwide effort to observe the so-called elections to expose frauds," Mr. Ivashkevich said.

Large-scale Narodny Skhod rallies may be held right before the main voting day or immediately after the closure of the polls, he said.

Narodny Skhod rallies took place in about a dozen Belarusian cities on October 8 and only three cities on November 12, drawing several thousand people. Many organizers were jailed or fined for allegedly violating the Mass Events Law.

Under the National and Local Assemblies Law, a local assembly at the level of a city, neighborhood, street or house may be initiated by at least two individuals if at least 10 percent of residents have added their signatures in support of holding such an event.

The law does not require authorities to be notified of the assembly or signatures to be submitted to them for verification or registration.