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Belarusian opposition refuses to take part in presidential elections campaign

People are refusing to take part in elections as candidates because they understand that it is impossible to win a campaign that "is a mere simulation of elections," the statement says

MINSK, September 14. /TASS/. Belarus’ opposition said on Monday it will not take part in the presidential election campaign.

"We declare our non-participation in the election farce and remind the country’s residents about their right committed to paper in article 65 of the Belarusian constitution to personally decide whether to take part in elections or not," the opposition said in a statement that followed last week’s roundtable meeting dedicated to the problems of the 2015 election campaign.

The document pointed that people are refusing to take part in elections as candidates because they understood that it was impossible to win a campaign that "is a mere simulation of elections."

The authors of the statement demanded Belarus hold free and fair elections in line with the standards of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) that "will reestablish people’s credibility in the state, that will take the country out of a political dead end and create possibilities for civilized democratic development."

Among the signatories of the statement were the leaders of the United Civil Party, the Party of the Lest Fair World, Anatoly Lebedko and Sergei Kalyakin, respectively, former candidates for president Vladimir Neklyayev and Nikolai Statkevich, as well as representatives from such parties as the Belarusian Christian Democracy, the Belarusian Social Democratic Party, and the organization committee for the establishment of the women’s party Nadezhda (Hope).

On September 10, the Central Elections Commission registered incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko, leader of the Belarusian Liberal Democratic Party Sergey Gaidukevich, female activist of the Tell the Truth campaign Tatiana Korotkevich and leader of the Belarusian Patriotic Party and supreme ataman of Belarusian Cossacks Nikolai Ulakhovich as candidate for president.

Belarus’ fifth presidential elections will be held on October 11.