Kazulin: Milinkevich visits regions whenever he likes and I come when I am invited to

Alyaksandr Kazulin is a non-party man now but he has remained in politics. It is not clear on what structures he will rely having left the Belarusian Social Democratic party (Hramada). The only thing the politician has revealed is his trips across the country. But where and why will he go? Will the trips resemble Alyaksandr Milinkevich’s trips? Alyaksandr Kazulin commented on it in an interview with ERB:

"I go to the places people invite me to. This is the difference in comparison with Alyaksandr Milinkevich. He has his personal programme and visiting the provinces is his aim”.

According to Kazulin, trips are possible now as he has left his party and is “free from responsibilities” and “has become a free person”. 

A political scientist Yury Chavusau comments on the possibility of non-party Kazulin to stay in politics:

"He has certain authority he accumulated in prison. This is the authority of a political leader able to make decisive steps”.

However, Chavusau notes that the authority has faded because Kazulin has not made any critical steps after his release. A politician can do well without a party in the period between election campaigns but having authority is not enough to succeed during active political campaigns, thinks Chavusau.

The political scientist is skeptical about the prospect of creation of a new party or the revival of the movement “People’s Freedom” by Kazulin.

"The situation is Belarus is strange: there are leaders without structures and structures without leaders”, - states Yury Chavusau.

However, Kazulin says that there is no need reviving “People’s Freedom” because … the movement does exist:

"It was revived in the form of Alyaksandr Milinkevich’s movement “For freedom”. Milinkevich has used all the ideas developed by “People’s Freedom”.

Can you create anything new? – we asked Kazulin. He answered reservedly:

"You know, I am going to live in this country. Time will show”.

By the way, ERB has found out that Alyaksandr Kazulin was invited to the recent meeting of the head of the Policy Unit of the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union Helga Schmidt with representatives of the Belarusian civil society. However, he was away from the country at that moment.

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