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Opposition demonstrations on March 25, April 26 achieved their purposes, says chairman of Belarusian Popular Front

The opposition demonstrations on March 25 and April 26 achieved their purposes, Vintsuk Vyachorka, chairman of the Belarusian Popular Front (BPF), said at Friday's news conference while commenting on the Charnobylski Shlyakh (Path of Chernobyl) march staged the previous day.

According to Mr. Vyachorka, these demonstrations showed that the Belarusian public "does have a protest potential." "Moreover, I was glad to see that most of the demonstrators [on April 26] were young people," he said. "This means that the Belarusian youth, or at least their active part, choose freedom, European values, and are even ready to take risks to defend its views."

According to the politician, the march on April 26 was "openly peaceful." "The authorities had to clench their teeth and endure," he said. "And only after the demonstration was over, they acted out their frustration on those who were leaving. We showed that there is a potential for protest, but now we should mobilize the people who live their daily lives, pursue their own interests, and believe that such problems do not concern them. But these problems will affect them. An economic crisis is beginning. We can see it from the authorities' behavior. The draft law to abolish the benefits of a large group of citizens, including students, small children, retirees, war veterans and Chernobyl victims is evidence of this.... By the way, the illumination on even Minsk's central avenue is switched off in the night, which is indicative of energy problems."

"That is why we should launch an awareness campaign now to communicate our viewpoint to the population, that is, if we accept the 12 conditions set by united Europe, we'll be able to avoid an economic and political crisis," the BPF leader suggested. "And if protest sentiments rise, we will be able to demand negotiations with the government after free and fair elections at the end of 2008."

Elections for the House of Representatives of the National Assembly are to be held in Belarus in the latter half of 2008.