Will the opposition take the risk of using “dirty” political techniques?
Victar Ivashkevich will use legal nihilism in the election campaign. Volha Kazulina will stick to the principles of “clean” politics. Alyaksandr Dabravolski will act according to the circumstances. Lyudmila Hraznova will “emphasize” the emotional quality of her speeches. And Syarhei Vaznyak will draw attention to facts of officials’ boorish attitude to people. The experience acquired during previous election campaigns shows that standard political techniques do not help opposition candidates resist the administrative resources used by state candidates in the struggle for a deputy mandate. ERB has decided to find out whether opposition members were going to change the tactics of their struggle, whether they were preparing unexpected surprises for their rivals and whether they would use “dirty” techniques.
According to the deputy head of BNF Victar Ivashkevch, he does not care how many “state” rivals and who will be competing with him. According to him, it can be explained by the fact that he does not depend either on his rivals or on the legislation.
Vіktar Іvashkevіch: “It is not an election so I am not using election techniques. I am organizing agitation in my constituency the way I like. I distributed leaflets to practically all mail boxes even before the elections. The Election Commission pronounced a warning to me and I suggested them that they should forbid me to take part in the elections. They could not do it because it was not their sphere of responsibility. I will continue doing what I like – I will do what I like. My technique is legal nihilism to the election legislation”.
The politician claims that he will not use “dirty” techniques but he will touch upon the topic of the explosion that took place during a concert on July 3 and the fact that Lukashenka was not afraid to go to the site of the explosion at that moment in his speeches. He will also ask why BT was promoting “the newly-born” President’s son so much.
A daughter of a political prisoner Alyaksandr Kazulin – Volha – knows that an official from the district administration Lukashonak will be her rival. The young politician says that it is easy to see that the power of the local administrative resource belongs to her. She does not know any new and unexpected things that could be opposed to it.
Volha Kazulіna: “People are scared and we have nothing to do to engage them into voting for us besides collecting signatures and organizing propaganda. It is very difficult to persuade people who are scared to give us their signatures and to vote for us, to ensure them that they will not be fired afterwards and that everything will be ok. But we have no other ways”.
Volha flatly refused to use “dirty” techniques in the pre-election competition. She says that her father taught her to be a representative of “clean” politics and it is not their way. She claims that if the opposition decided to unite, it would be the most unexpected political technique for all their rivals.
Two acting deputies of the House of Representatives are going to take part in the election campaign in the constituency of the deputy head of the UCP Alyaksandr Dabravolski – Halina Mazurkevich and Henadz Davydzka. According to the politician, no new techniques are good to be opposed to brute force. He will act according to circumstances.
Alyaksandr Dabravolskі: “If votes are not counted the main thing is to avoid playing by their rules, by the authorities’ rules, because they confuse personal interests with the state ones. It means it is necessary to work with electors to receive public support. Personal contacts are the best technique. So you have to visit flats and to organize meetings with electors”.
He says he will not use “dirty” techniques because it is inadmissible. Anyway all the dirt returns to the person who produced it.
A UCP member, human rights activist Lyudmila Hraznova, will have to compete with a deputy of the House of Representatives too – it will be Anatol Krasutski. According to her, nothing new should be invented in the struggle for a deputy mandate. The main thing is to talk in a language people will understand, to discuss the things that are important for them. In her opinion, the issues are the housing problem, small-scale business and pensioners’, invalids’ and students’ benefits.
Lyudmіla Hraznova: “My leaflets will not promise to increase or deepen something or organize its efficient usage. I will talk about important things on an emotional but comprehensible level. I am visiting flats now and I am telling it to people”.
According to her, even if “dirty” techniques give the needed results, they will not last long. A real politician cannot live for a moment.
The deputy head of the President’s Administration Alyaksandr Papkou will be the rival of a member of the Central Committee of the BCP Sayrhei Vaznyak. The politician wants to use his own techniques in the struggle with him: he is going to reveal the facts of officials’ boorish attitude to people.
Syarhei Vaznyak: “There are enough examples of officials’ boorish attitude to people and I will use them in my election campaign when the agitation stars. One's hair stands on end when they got to know about things officials do to villagers. I am an urban person and I know that many things can be witnessed in Minsk. But the things I see in villages of Talachyn, Senna, and Lyozna Districts are terrifying! I will tell people that the government they cannot control treats them in a boorish way”.
In his opinion, this way of organization of pre-election struggle is better than any “dirty” technique.
According to the deputy head of BNF Victar Ivashkevch, he does not care how many “state” rivals and who will be competing with him. According to him, it can be explained by the fact that he does not depend either on his rivals or on the legislation.
Vіktar Іvashkevіch: “It is not an election so I am not using election techniques. I am organizing agitation in my constituency the way I like. I distributed leaflets to practically all mail boxes even before the elections. The Election Commission pronounced a warning to me and I suggested them that they should forbid me to take part in the elections. They could not do it because it was not their sphere of responsibility. I will continue doing what I like – I will do what I like. My technique is legal nihilism to the election legislation”.
The politician claims that he will not use “dirty” techniques but he will touch upon the topic of the explosion that took place during a concert on July 3 and the fact that Lukashenka was not afraid to go to the site of the explosion at that moment in his speeches. He will also ask why BT was promoting “the newly-born” President’s son so much.
A daughter of a political prisoner Alyaksandr Kazulin – Volha – knows that an official from the district administration Lukashonak will be her rival. The young politician says that it is easy to see that the power of the local administrative resource belongs to her. She does not know any new and unexpected things that could be opposed to it.
Volha Kazulіna: “People are scared and we have nothing to do to engage them into voting for us besides collecting signatures and organizing propaganda. It is very difficult to persuade people who are scared to give us their signatures and to vote for us, to ensure them that they will not be fired afterwards and that everything will be ok. But we have no other ways”.
Volha flatly refused to use “dirty” techniques in the pre-election competition. She says that her father taught her to be a representative of “clean” politics and it is not their way. She claims that if the opposition decided to unite, it would be the most unexpected political technique for all their rivals.
Two acting deputies of the House of Representatives are going to take part in the election campaign in the constituency of the deputy head of the UCP Alyaksandr Dabravolski – Halina Mazurkevich and Henadz Davydzka. According to the politician, no new techniques are good to be opposed to brute force. He will act according to circumstances.
Alyaksandr Dabravolskі: “If votes are not counted the main thing is to avoid playing by their rules, by the authorities’ rules, because they confuse personal interests with the state ones. It means it is necessary to work with electors to receive public support. Personal contacts are the best technique. So you have to visit flats and to organize meetings with electors”.
He says he will not use “dirty” techniques because it is inadmissible. Anyway all the dirt returns to the person who produced it.
A UCP member, human rights activist Lyudmila Hraznova, will have to compete with a deputy of the House of Representatives too – it will be Anatol Krasutski. According to her, nothing new should be invented in the struggle for a deputy mandate. The main thing is to talk in a language people will understand, to discuss the things that are important for them. In her opinion, the issues are the housing problem, small-scale business and pensioners’, invalids’ and students’ benefits.
Lyudmіla Hraznova: “My leaflets will not promise to increase or deepen something or organize its efficient usage. I will talk about important things on an emotional but comprehensible level. I am visiting flats now and I am telling it to people”.
According to her, even if “dirty” techniques give the needed results, they will not last long. A real politician cannot live for a moment.
The deputy head of the President’s Administration Alyaksandr Papkou will be the rival of a member of the Central Committee of the BCP Sayrhei Vaznyak. The politician wants to use his own techniques in the struggle with him: he is going to reveal the facts of officials’ boorish attitude to people.
Syarhei Vaznyak: “There are enough examples of officials’ boorish attitude to people and I will use them in my election campaign when the agitation stars. One's hair stands on end when they got to know about things officials do to villagers. I am an urban person and I know that many things can be witnessed in Minsk. But the things I see in villages of Talachyn, Senna, and Lyozna Districts are terrifying! I will tell people that the government they cannot control treats them in a boorish way”.
In his opinion, this way of organization of pre-election struggle is better than any “dirty” technique.
