What are presidential candidates’ nicknames?

ERB has wondered what the candidates’ childhood nicknames were and whether they have any sobriquets now.

Uladzimir Nyaklyayeu was nicknamed “Prince” at school and the sobriquet stayed at university.

"I recited a lesson about prince Neklyudov and his love during a Russian literature class once. Somehow it got associated with me and I became Prince”, - explained Uladzimir Nyaklyayeu to ERB.

According to the candidate, his team call him Prakopych now.

Members of Yaraslau Ramanchuk’s initiate group jokingly call their head “Leader”. But he also had a nickname of a real leader when he was a child.

"We had a popular cartoon called “Sindbad” at that time and they nicknamed me Sindbad, - recalls Yaraslau Ramanchuk. – It was because I was a curious and smart person, I wanted to know more than other people did and I was energetic, I could not spend my time idling. That is why I got the nickname: on the one hand, I was curious and smart and on the other hand, I was energetic and active”.

Ryhor Kastusyou got his father’s nickname when he was a kid – “Brave”. At the moment he is often addressed as “Mr. Ryhor” or “Uncle Ryhor”.

A presidential candidate Mikalai Statkevich did not want to tell us his childhood nickname. According to him, nobody uses his nickname talking to him now – however, it happens behind his back…

"One of the presidential candidates told me I was called “Battering-ram” behind my back”, - smiled Mikalai Statkevich.

Victar Tsyareshchanka says that members of his election HQ call him Victar Ivanavich. He did not have any nickname in his childhood although he wanted to. Probably it can be explained by the fact that he was an intellectual, a chess champion and did not drink alcoholic beverages, thinks the candidate.

"I wanted a nickname when I was a child but I didn’t get any. All boys had nicknames. I called myself Crucian or something like that, but I didn’t have a nickname. They just called be Vitsya”.

A Christian democrat Vital Rymasheuski confessed that he had always been against nicknames and had never allowed anyone to call him “in a wrong way”.

By the way, Ales Mihalevich’s opponents used to call him “Michaelson” or “Carthage”. Former presidential contenders Alyaksandr Milinkevich and Alyaksandr Kazulin got their nicknames from policemen – “Beard” and “Bald” respectively.