Presidential contenders meet with voters in baths, at "shashlik" picnics an

Presidential contenders actively travel around the country for the last two months. They meet with their allies and potential voters. However, as it became known to the European Radio for Belarus, these meetings in the majority of cases take place in the facilities which cannot be called posh. Moreover, there are many other circumstances.

The Vice-Chairman of the United Civic Party Jaraslau Ramanchuk published a series of photos of his latest meetings in the regions, in the Internet. The interior of the accomodation facilites impressed - one place had scuffed walls withous wallpaper, the other one reminded either neglected country house or a cowshed.



However, the politician relates to meetings in such facilities with understanding and humour.

Jaraslau Ramanchuk: “As for the apartment, it was bought by Helsinki Committee members in Vorsha. It hasn't been redecorated or furnished yet - but that was the only place they could provide us. Another photo - that's in Vilejka, in a house under reconstruction. People came there, then the police arrived saying they were looking for drugs there”.



However, he says, it's not the antourage that's important, but people. Ramanchuk claims he pays attention not to the site of the meeting, but who comes to that meeting. He added that he is used to situations when local authorities refuse to provide normal places for opposition politicians.

Jaraslau Ramanchuk: “Meetings at picnics, in coffe-houses - that's a standard way people meet to discuss their plans. There were a lot of such meetings: in Hrodna, Brest, Babrujsk. There were many such situations”.

As for the leader of the "European Coalition" Mikola Statkevich, he recalled  he had to meet with voters in baths and in bushes behind the church in the village Blon.

Mikola Statkevich: “I had to conduct meetings in private country houses, in baths, let alone apartments. At picnics in the forest disguised as birthday parties. When I was at the forcible labour facility of an open type, we at first conducted meetings of the coordination committee of the "European Coalition" in the bushes behind the church building in Blon. That territory was surrounded with fence, and we could meet there, thank God. When the weather got warmer, we met at the river bank, or in the bushes, at the lawn”.



He added such situations still happened during regional trips.

The leader of the campaign "Tell the Truth" Uladzimir Nyaklyaeu confessed he managed to rent a conference hall of one of Minsk hotels only on the day of presentation of the campaign's start. Since then the meetings have been conducted in some strange places.

Uladzimir Nyaklyaeu : “During all this time when I tried to get to people who would come to vote for Lukashenka, or for his rival, I never found a place to meet my aims. I was never provided with such a place. So we meet at a river bank inventing a story we come for a picnic, or in a forest, or at somebody's country house near the road - I would call it rural tourism”.



In addition to the above, according to Nyaklyaeu, he hardly managed to get to a place of a meeting without any complications for once. The car with a poet-politician is for some reason always stopped by the traffic police to check whether it was stolen.

The leader of the movement "For Freedom!" Aliaksandr Milinkevich also actively meets with people. However, his meetings take place in normal facilities, and even the traffic police has no questions. This makes the politician suspicious.

Aliaksandr Milinkevich: “We had meetings in private apartments - KGB men and policemen stood on duty in the yards, we had big meetings near churches - 300 people each - in Minsk and Brest. Homel democrats have their own house, the same with Mahiliou. In Vitsebsk and Hrodna - we get together, 100 people come - no problem. Besides, police are more careful now. I go around the country and no one ever stops me - I even think this is disrespectful!”



The Vice-Chairman of the BPF Party Ryhor Kastusiou boasted he had no necessity to conduct meetings with voters in bushes or baths. However, he had to do it at farms and markets.

Ryhor Kastusiou: “We had meetings at farms, at markets, near entrances to factories and plants. We also had unexpected meetings at the street, talked to people. I never hid in bushes or baths, but I never met with people in the Palace of Republic as well!”



As for the Co-Chairman of the steering committee on creating the party Belarusian Christian Democracy Vital Rymasheuski, he confessed all his meetings were in normal facilities - no baths, farms or picnics. The most memorable meeting, to his opinion, was the one at the bank of the lake in Miory district this Summer.

Photo: Zmitser Lukashuk and from the web-page of Jaraslau Ramanchuk