The former head of the HTP, Valer Tsapkala, today applied for registration as a presidential candidate. He passed 160 thousand signatures to the CEC for his nomination.
In a comment to Belsat Valer Tsapkala noted that his failure to register as a candidate will mean that the elections were cancelled.
“We really hope that the major “high-rating” candidates will be registered,” he stressed.
Valer Tsapkala first of all plans to rely on the initiative of civil society. He said he was impressed by the Belarusians’ involvement.
“The way they manifest their civic position, they way they are enrolling in local commissions. A lot of new tools have appeared through the development of information technologies, which can make the vote counting procedure more transparent”.
He stressed that the Constitution and electoral legislation are first and foremost.
“We must all respect the Constitution and electoral legislation. And the most important thing is to respect the right of the Belarusian people to the have the political course they want. It has the right to elect a leader who will lead the Belarusian people for 5 years. Nobody has the right to be above the law”.
Valer Tsapkala also spoke about the referendum initiated by Viktar Babaryka’s team. He noted that it should be held after the elections.
“Today, one can drown in bureaucratic procedures… It is possible to notarize the signatures of all members of the initiative group and choose a question for the referendum. Under the most optimistic scenario, this case will last for about 8 months. And the presidential election is a month and a half away. It is necessary that all candidates concentrate on the main agenda today. And today it is a change of the current course,” said Tsapkala.
- The participants of the presidential race who have collected more than the required 100 thousand signatures, can submit their documents to the CEC by July 4. The registration will be held from July 5 to 14 inclusive.
- In addition to Valer Tsapkala, Viktar Babaryka, who has been in the KGB jail since June 18, also has applied for registration with the CEC.
This year’s presidential election will be held on August 9.
