Elections in Belarus: Lukashenko gets rid of competitors

Belarusian human rights activists unveiled the results of the first stage of the presidential campaign - the collection of signatures for potential candidates for the highest post. For a month, more than 100 activists, members of initiative groups, journalists were convicted of different periods of administrative arrests. Hundreds are sentenced to pay large fines. 30 people are held in criminal articles, half of them are recognized as political prisoners.

On June 19 in Belarus, the deadline for sending signatures to the election commissions for nomination of presidential candidates was completed. According to the law for registration, the applicant needs to collect 100 thousand votes in his support. In the next 10 days, the Central Election Commission will check the accuracy of the data. Registration will be held from 5 to 14 July. The election day is scheduled for August 9.

Half a million signatures - a record of an alternative candidate

Almost all the participants in the race who expressed the intention to collect signatures overcame the necessary line. At least declare this.

Almost half a million signatures were collected for Viktor Babariko

So, the headquarters of the current president Alexander Lukashenko claim that 1.5 million signatures were collected for him. For the former chairman of the board of Belgazprombank, Viktor Babariko, is almost half a million, which is an absolute record for an alternative nomine for all six election campaigns.

The founder of the high technology park Valery Temkkkalo reported on more than 200 thousand votes, several more applicants said that the minimum permissible number of ballots would be handed over - 100 thousand. This is the leader of the civil movement "Say the truth" Andrei Dmitriev, ex-deputy of the House of Representatives Anna Kanopatskaya, Chairman of the Belarusian Social Democratic Gramad Sergey Chereu and translator Svetlana Tikhanovskaya.

Initially, documents were submitted for registration of 55 initiative groups. The Central Election Commission remained in the final list of the Central Election Commission. Representatives of the system opposition initially stated that they would not collect signatures, but use information pickets to communicate with people. This is the chairman of the United Civil Party Nikolai Kozlov, the leader of the Movement Movement Yuri Gubarevich, co-chair of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Olga Kovalkov, “Candidate of protest” from the Belarusian Social Democratic Party Vladimir Nepomnyaty.

Victor Babariko

The first to leave the distance was the chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party, the "Belorussian Zhirinovsky" Oleg Gaidukevich. With the words " I can't be a prostitute " He stated that he was being removed in favor of Alexander Lukashenko and transfers the 30 thousand signatures and the program to the pre -election headquarters of the “only worthy candidate” already collected.

Lead cows, and the operatives are behind me. And who will feed the cattle if they put it?

Soon, Yuri Gantsevich, a farmer from the Gomel region, said the impossibility of continuing the presidential campaign - complained that any step of his team representatives was recorded by local security forces, and in such conditions, signatures refused to work. "Lead cows, and the operatives are behind me. And who will feed the cattle if they put them?" - the business executive launched.

She did not expect the completion of the first stage and member of the Council Association of Cargo Cargo Cargoers "Region 8" Natalia Kisel. She explained that the main goal was to indicate complex issues of small businesses pulling the sphere of cargo transportation to the bottom. "The task of informing colleagues has been successfully implemented," says businesswoman.

On the last day of the signatures, the leader of the metal group announced the self-discharge Znich, Tattoo Master Ales Tabolic. The potential candidate honestly admitted that he did not collect 100 thousand signatures, and ended up in all this action "on jokes". The farewell made doubt that against the backdrop of mass arrests and repressions in the country, one can generally talk about honest elections.

Subscriber's slippers - a symbol of an unsystematic opposition

A visit to the collectors began a slipper against the background of the slogan "slam the mustachioed cockroach"

The authorities tried to turn life into hell even before the start of the elections. So, the popular blogger from Gomel Sergei Tikhanovsky, the CEC refused to register the initiative group on the grounds that he did not submit an application personally. It doesn’t matter that at that time Tikhanovsky was behind bars. The meeting with subscribers was regarded as "Organization of an unauthorized mass event", the culprit was convicted of 15 days. Then his wife Svetlana announced the nomination, there were no reasons for refusing the commission members.

And shortly after the liberation of Sergei Tikhanovsky and nine more people were detained in Grodno during the legal picket to collect signatures. This was preceded by a verbal skirmish of a blogger with carved local residents, during which a policeman suddenly appeared on the ground. Arriving OMON brutally detained offenders. And although eyewitnesses together called this “performance” a provocation, the security forces considered that there was a “violence” regarding police officers.

Sergey Tikhanovsky, May 2020

Since May 29, Tikhanovsky and his colleagues have been in the Minsk investigative insulator. He is charged with "Organization of group actions that grossly violating public order and associated with obvious disobedience to the legal requirements of government representatives, or active participation in such actions," the punishment under this article is up to 3 years in prison. If someone is accused of attacking a policeman, the prison term will automatically double.

On the third attempt, investigators found 900 thousand dollars behind the old sofa

In the early days of June, in the country of Sergey, under Gomel, searches were held. The first two - to no avail, from the third attempt, investigators found ... 900 thousand dollars behind the old sofa. Instead of popular indignation, the authorities received the opposite effect: throughout the country, people lined up in many hours of queues to express solidarity with the arrested author of the “ Country for Life ” project and subscribe to his bold wife. A recognizable visitor of the collectors began to “slam the mustachioed cockroach” against the background of the slogan.

At the same time, human rights activists recognized Sergei Tikhanovsky by the political prisoner, and the lawyers of the Legal Initiative organization submitted a message about his detention in the working group for arbitrary detention of the UN. Later, other defendants in “Tikhanovsky’s affairs” became political prisoners: Evgeny Rostozenko, Dmitry Furmanov, Vladimir Naumik, Virgil Ushak, Alexander Aranovich, Vasily Bobrovsky, Artem Sakov, Vladimir Book and Citizen of Russia Andrei Novikov.

Stop your trip because you can be imprisoned, and take the children

The next representative of the bloodless headquarters Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, her spokesman Alexander Kabanov, was convicted for 15 days. And during a trip to the regions, Tikhanovskaya received a threat. “They called me from an unfamiliar number and said about the following:“ Take a note, maybe you will stop your trip because you can be put in prison and take the children, ”Svetlana said and asked for forgiveness from the supporters that her choice in this situation was obvious. However, she soon came up with a statement that at least her team should have passed,“ at least for the sake of Sergey. ”

Law enforcement agencies about attempts to intimidate the Tikhanovskaya ignored.

"Purgery bourgeois" - a terrible dream of Lukashenko

The political debut of the professional banker Viktor Babariko turned out to be even more loud. For a quarter of a century, he in the financial sector, for the past 20 years, led Belgazprombank (almost 99% of the assets belong to Gazprombank and Gazprom).

Having decided to run, Babariko quit of his own free will. From the first days, he competently built a campaign, having managed to attract more than 10 thousand supporters to the initiative group, which was headed by his son Edward (for comparison, in the Lukashenko team only a thousand more).

In the networks for Lukashenko, the nickname "Sasha is three percent" was fixed

The effect was not long in coming: according to the results of surveys on analytical and information resources, Babariko escaped to the leaders, sending the current leader to hopeless outsiders. After that, the nickname "Sasha three percent" was fixed in Lukashenko's networks. True, the Ministry of Information recognized the surveys illegal and banned “amateur”. And law enforcement officers rushed to withdraw “seditious souvenirs” - T -shirts, mugs, badges with the image of shameful interest.

Soon, the wounded Lukashenko convened a meeting with the power block, ordering to deal with the "pot -bellied bourgeois."

Ivan Teretel

Events began to develop rapidly. On June 11, the Department of Financial Investigations of the State Control Committee conducted searches in the head office of Belgazprombank, as well as in the partner companies Privatlizing, Campari, and Centaurus. The head of the department, Ivan Teretel, announced the detentions of top managers from among the leaders of the first link and former bank employees who work in various commercial structures. It was arrested for money, securities, as well as 150 paintings by artists of the Parisian school, which for 10 years were bought at international auctions for the Art Belarus exposition. A temporary administration was introduced into the bank, withdrawing the previous rule.

Victor Babariko was not touched until June 18. However, when he, along with his son, carried the next batch of signatures in the Central Election Commission, the connection with him disappeared. Then, the State Control Committee was recognized that both were detained and located in the KGB isolator. The access to lawyers was denied. Journalists were explained that the materials were transferred to the Prosecutor General to determine the jurisdiction.

On June 19, the Prosecutor General of Belarus Alexander Konyuk said that the actions of persons undergoing in the case were qualified as "committed as part of a criminal organization." According to him, 20 people were detained, including the former leader Viktor Babariko.

Ivan Teretel did not exclude that "for the activities of Babariko and companies there are puppeteers in Gazprom

"Given the fact that criminal acts were performed systematically, for a long time, using transnational unlawful schemes, they created a real threat to the interests of the national security of our country in both financial and other areas," the prosecutor general explained the decision.

Cases were initiated under six articles of the Criminal Code: “Evasion of taxes, fees”, “legalization (“ laundering ”) received by criminal means”, “theft by abuse of official powers”, “fraud”, “receiving a bribe”, “giving a bribe”.

Earlier, the chairman of the State Control Committee Ivan Teretel did not exclude that "for the activities of Babariko and the companies there are puppeteers in Gazprom or even higher." True, he did not specify the address.

“We know that the puppeteers standing behind him are afraid that our actions will lead to data and confirm their involvement in this unlawful activity. Such persons are, we know, large bosses in Gazprom, and maybe higher,” the main controller informed.

"Vitya-Polituznik" against "Sasha is three percent"

Even on the eve of the detention, Viktor Babariko defined the attack on Belgazprombank as an attempt by the raider seizure of the most successful commercial bank in the country. However, the main goal of hard pressure is to prevent it from a decisive stage of elections, where Lukashenko has a chance at best at the level of 3%.

Alexander Lukashenko

After the news of the detention of the already well recognized father and son in Minsk in a multi -kilometer "Picket of Solidarity", thousands of Babarico supporters lined up. The gathered loudly applauded to break through the walls of the KGB casemates, the motorists were signaling. Police attempts to scare the consequences were unsuccessful - people in the face expressed everything they think of the authorities and her henchmen.

Your browser does not support HTML5

The arrested shares were supported in Minsk

Following this, human rights activists declared political prisoners Victor and Eduard Babariko, as well as the arrested members of his initiative group Svetlana Kurev and Vladimir Dudarev.

In turn, Alexander Lukashenko said he was closely observing the situation. In his opinion, certain political forces are simply trying to use people.

"Today, the focus of political interests is concentrated in Belarus. Both from the west and from the east. Certain forces were activated, which begin to swing the situation in the country. We still managed to take steps ahead of the destabilization and supply to the Maidan. Masks are torn from certain not only local dolls, but also puppeteers outside Belarus," said Lukashenko, also said Lukashenko, also Having warned that there is no need to push power to response measures.

And he added that there is not from thieves, overwhelmed bankers and other scammers who have settled in Belgazprombank, to make heroes.

The next day, all Belarus got up from the sofas - the people went out into the streets even where political activity was not observed since the acquisition of sovereignty. Many were grabbed by people in civilian clothes and form, while there were attempts to recapture those who were already “loaded” in autozaki. They deliberately hunted for “dishonest” journalists: more than a dozen were detained, the filming group of Belarusian Radio Liberty was taken directly during the live broadcast. A few hours later, they released, "finding out the individuals."

Your browser does not support HTML5

Detention of Radio Freedom Journalists in Minsk

This is how Lukashenko’s elections are held: one and a half dozen political prisoners already at the stage of collecting signatures.