Translated material
The opposition was warned
Six parties may be liquidated in Belarus
Six Belarusian parties received a warning from the Justice Ministry on Friday about possible liquidation due to an insufficient number of regional structures. By law, each party is required to have a city organization in Minsk and at least four regional organizations. The Ministry of Justice of Belarus warned the parties that “if the above-mentioned requirements of the law are further ignored, the question of suspending their activities or liquidating them through the courts may be raised.”Among those who received a warning are the Belarusian Popular Front Party (Belarusian Popular Front) and the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hromada), whose leader Alexander Kazulin is serving a sentence on charges of organizing mass riots. The activities of the opposition Communist Party were suspended for six months in early August for similar violations. “The authorities have begun preparations for elections to the House of Representatives, trying to neutralize leading political structures,” BPF leader Vintsuk Vecherko told Vremya Novostey.
Parliamentary elections are scheduled for October 2008. Back in May, the opposition announced the start of preparations for them, having adopted documents at its congress on reforming politics and the economy, which should become its election program. In August, opposition parties began dividing electoral districts.
“Minsk is taking preventive measures. The authorities fear that the situation in the country will worsen over the course of the year due to rising energy prices,” independent sociologist Oleg Manaev told VN. Starting next year, another increase in the price of Russian gas is expected, and “Minsk wants to minimize the opposition’s opportunities to exploit this situation.” At the same time, VN’s interlocutor emphasized that “even if major parties are liquidated, the opposition will be able to conduct a campaign if it seriously wants to participate in the elections.”