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Local elections are illegitimate, United Civic Party says

The elections for local soviets that began in Belarus on March 18 are illegitimate, while Belarusian voters still have no right to elect, the United Civic Party's Political Council said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

The opposition party's leadership described the authorities' treatment of UCP activists, candidates for soviets and their campaign aides as a "special operation to intimidate" them and interfere with their contacts with voters.

It condemned the "illegal" removal of UCP members Mikalay Ulasevich and Iryna Davidovich from ballots over their leaflets as an "example of political censorship."

The statement referred to this week's jailing of UCP candidates and their campaign aides, and said that the government's crackdown on opponents was even stronger than in previous elections.

The UCP Political Council urged voters not to visit polling stations or, if they are forced to go to the polls, write "I demand fair elections" on their ballots.

The statement called on the international community to bear in mind that Belarus "remains a country where elections are not conducted in accordance with OSCE standards and where deputies are not elected but are appointed." It also called for pro-opposition people to unite and put pressure on the government to secure free and fair elections in Belarus.

The main voting day in the elections will be March 23. //BelaPAN