Nyaklyaeu to collect signatures in commuter trains, singing to harmonica
As for Rymasheuski, he will get his authorised persons sing. Euroradio has found out which creative ideas the presidential contenders are going to use to surprise the electorate (+photo from the first day of collecting signatures). The last September day gave a start to the campaign on collecting signatures for nomination of presidential contenders. In the early morning Euroradio's correspondent spotted the economist Jaraslau Ramanchuk in the pedestrian underpass near Kamarouski market. The UCP Vice-Chairman was convincing people to sign for him, together with his activists.
Euroradio asked which creative ideas, apart from pickets and "door-to-door" technique, will the politician use to surprise the voters. However, he confessed he had no plans to organize concerts or to place a mobile kitchen trailer near the desks of signature collectors.
Jaraslau Ramanchuk: “We will take various steps as soon as we start the campaign. However, today we are limited by the legislation we now have. We cannot agitate at the stage of collecting signatures. As for the mobile kitchen trailer - this can be considered as tampering the voters. As well as the concert. We will be careful, we'll collect these signatures anyway”.
As for the leader of the campaign "Tell the Truth" Uladzimir Nyaklyaeu, he invented a PR-trick to turn the voters' attention to his personality.
Uladzimir Nyaklyaeu: “I will go over the wagons of commuter trains with a harmonica - the one which I dropped from viaduc in childhood - singing : "Dear people! Let's elect us another President! For this, let us sign in this paper!” This text is set to music”.
The music is folk, he says, and the words were written by the electoral headquarters altogether. He plans to go all over the country with this song, at least, the places where commuter trains are in use.
The BPF Vice-Chairman Ryhor Kastusyou also wishes to enrich his campaign with music. However, according to him, it's lack of finance which prevents him from doing that so far.
Ryhor Kastusyou: “There are ideas about concerts. However, here we face one problem - financial one. As soon as we solve it, we will sort something out. At least, the headquarters have such plans”.
According to him, musicians started to address them with suggestions to support Kastusyou at the elections with their creative activity a month ago. However, the politician revealed no names.
Vital Rymasheuski also liked the idea to use concert in the framework of the campaign. He even invented a new approach - to get the members of his electoral headquarters sing before the people.
Vital Rymasheuski: “As for me personally, I will have a very tense schedule, I doubt I will have time for giving solo concerts. But you gave me a great idea! I will suggest the leader and the activists of my electoral headquarters to give such concerts to the public!”
As it concerns the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party Siarhej Haidukevich, he refused to talk about his campaign point-blank. He said the Euroradio correspondent should ask such questions to Sannikau or Nyaklyaeu. It is unclear whether he wanted to help them in conducting their campaigns this way of admitted their supremacy in creativity in advance.
Siarhej Haidukevich: “Call Sannikau or Nyaklyaeu - these guys have prepared everything already! For you, it will be so interesting with them, but not with me”.
Besides, the political observer of the newspaper "Narodnaya Volya" Andrej Sannikau collected signatures together with the members of his nomination group at Jakub Kolas square, in spite of the heavy rain. He confessed nothing creative would be done at this stage of the campaign.
Andrej Sannikau: “We haven't planned any of, as you just said, "interesting" actions so far. I see that people respond not to the actions but to the possibility of changing the authority in Belarus. As for the actions, maybe it would be better to conduct them after registration, when we will need to talk to more people and to suggest the alternative”.
He also confessed he was pleased how things were going on the first day of collecting signatures.
Mikalaj Statkevich is not going to use any creativity, now or later.
Mikalaj Statkevich: “We will implement traditional means - it's not time for creativity. Maybe, it is reasonable sometimes to play for the public, to show ourselves from time to time in the internet, to conduct some PR-actions. The most effective way is going from door to door. We will also use pickets in the end of collecting signatures”.
Ales Mikhalevich also prefers the "door-to-door" technique. Nevertheless, he said there would be something interesting, refusing to say what exactly.
Ales Mikhalevich: “In my campaign I will focus on the door-to-door technique of collecting signatures. However, it is possible some creative ideas for collecting signatures in public places will be realised in the near future, if we manage to do that. We have several interesting ideas”.
As for the employee of Vitsebsk vegetable and fruit processing plant Siarhej Ryzhou, he is totally against creativity in the electoral campaign.
Siarhej Ryzhou: “We won't use street pickets, or organize concert with bears, drums and balalaikas. We are not going to conduct mass movements of some recruited groups in support of the candidate. Elections are complicated process, a State process. So we have no intention to make a circus or a theatrical performance out of it, as some people are trying to do here”.
He seriously underlined that elections should steer up the process of civic consciousness and should thus look decent.
Euroradio asked which creative ideas, apart from pickets and "door-to-door" technique, will the politician use to surprise the voters. However, he confessed he had no plans to organize concerts or to place a mobile kitchen trailer near the desks of signature collectors.
Jaraslau Ramanchuk: “We will take various steps as soon as we start the campaign. However, today we are limited by the legislation we now have. We cannot agitate at the stage of collecting signatures. As for the mobile kitchen trailer - this can be considered as tampering the voters. As well as the concert. We will be careful, we'll collect these signatures anyway”.
As for the leader of the campaign "Tell the Truth" Uladzimir Nyaklyaeu, he invented a PR-trick to turn the voters' attention to his personality.
Uladzimir Nyaklyaeu: “I will go over the wagons of commuter trains with a harmonica - the one which I dropped from viaduc in childhood - singing : "Dear people! Let's elect us another President! For this, let us sign in this paper!” This text is set to music”.
The music is folk, he says, and the words were written by the electoral headquarters altogether. He plans to go all over the country with this song, at least, the places where commuter trains are in use.
The BPF Vice-Chairman Ryhor Kastusyou also wishes to enrich his campaign with music. However, according to him, it's lack of finance which prevents him from doing that so far.
Ryhor Kastusyou: “There are ideas about concerts. However, here we face one problem - financial one. As soon as we solve it, we will sort something out. At least, the headquarters have such plans”.
According to him, musicians started to address them with suggestions to support Kastusyou at the elections with their creative activity a month ago. However, the politician revealed no names.
Vital Rymasheuski also liked the idea to use concert in the framework of the campaign. He even invented a new approach - to get the members of his electoral headquarters sing before the people.
Vital Rymasheuski: “As for me personally, I will have a very tense schedule, I doubt I will have time for giving solo concerts. But you gave me a great idea! I will suggest the leader and the activists of my electoral headquarters to give such concerts to the public!”
As it concerns the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party Siarhej Haidukevich, he refused to talk about his campaign point-blank. He said the Euroradio correspondent should ask such questions to Sannikau or Nyaklyaeu. It is unclear whether he wanted to help them in conducting their campaigns this way of admitted their supremacy in creativity in advance.
Siarhej Haidukevich: “Call Sannikau or Nyaklyaeu - these guys have prepared everything already! For you, it will be so interesting with them, but not with me”.
Besides, the political observer of the newspaper "Narodnaya Volya" Andrej Sannikau collected signatures together with the members of his nomination group at Jakub Kolas square, in spite of the heavy rain. He confessed nothing creative would be done at this stage of the campaign.
Andrej Sannikau: “We haven't planned any of, as you just said, "interesting" actions so far. I see that people respond not to the actions but to the possibility of changing the authority in Belarus. As for the actions, maybe it would be better to conduct them after registration, when we will need to talk to more people and to suggest the alternative”.
He also confessed he was pleased how things were going on the first day of collecting signatures.
Mikalaj Statkevich is not going to use any creativity, now or later.
Mikalaj Statkevich: “We will implement traditional means - it's not time for creativity. Maybe, it is reasonable sometimes to play for the public, to show ourselves from time to time in the internet, to conduct some PR-actions. The most effective way is going from door to door. We will also use pickets in the end of collecting signatures”.
Ales Mikhalevich also prefers the "door-to-door" technique. Nevertheless, he said there would be something interesting, refusing to say what exactly.
Ales Mikhalevich: “In my campaign I will focus on the door-to-door technique of collecting signatures. However, it is possible some creative ideas for collecting signatures in public places will be realised in the near future, if we manage to do that. We have several interesting ideas”.
As for the employee of Vitsebsk vegetable and fruit processing plant Siarhej Ryzhou, he is totally against creativity in the electoral campaign.
Siarhej Ryzhou: “We won't use street pickets, or organize concert with bears, drums and balalaikas. We are not going to conduct mass movements of some recruited groups in support of the candidate. Elections are complicated process, a State process. So we have no intention to make a circus or a theatrical performance out of it, as some people are trying to do here”.
He seriously underlined that elections should steer up the process of civic consciousness and should thus look decent.
Photo: Zmitser Lukashuk
