Justice Ministry suspends registration of 'Belarusian Christian Democracy' party
The Ministry of Justice has suspended the state registration of the party "Belarusian Christian Democracy". According to the press service of the "Belarusian Christian Democracy," the Ministry of Justice notified the organizing committee of the party by a letter.
By law, the Ministry of Justice is to decide on party registration or refusal within one month after documents are filed. However, officials have the opportunity to suspend the registration to study additional documents.
One of the commentators on the BCD website has suggested that the Belarusian authorities are dawdling until the EU lifts the visa restrictions. The decision to register the BCD has been postponed until February, when the EU plans to address the issue of sanctions against Belarusian officials.
The founding congress of the party was held in Minsk on December 12, 2015. Documents for registration were transferred to the Ministry of Justice on 24 December.
The BCD organizing committee has already received five refusals of registration since 2009. Also, the Christian Democrats of Belarus have unsuccessfully tried to register as a regional or national association.
