On July 21, coordinator of Viktar Babaryka’s headquarters Maria Kalesnikava went live and told about details of joining efforts with the two headquarters, recalled the five principles and answered questions about campaign materials and joint pickets.
Maria also made a separate appeal today, see it by clicking here.
How did you decide to unite?
On 14 July the CEC did not register Viktar Babaryka and Valery Tsepkalo as candidates for the presidency. For us, it meant the way to the new plan. Our main goal, voiced by Viktar Babaryka, is victory. We were discussing how we could win. Candidate for the presidency Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya became the most likely partner for further actions. We negotiated with the headquarters of Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya and Valery Tsepkala. We discussed possible options for the course of events. As a result, there were three of us – me, Svetlana and Veronica – and in 15 minutes we were able to agree that our headquarters combine their efforts around 5 principles:
- We will call on voters to come to the elections on August 9, 2020 and vote.
- We will release political prisoners, economic prisoners, give the right to review cases in independent and fair courts.
- We will hold repeat fair elections after August 9, 2020.
- We will inform voters about the need to protect their votes in various ways.
- We will call for participation in initiatives for fair elections: “Honest People”, “Right of Choice”, “Ruh Prauda”, etc., to become observers. At the moment of voting, we will call on you to use the mechanisms that will be proposed to fix your vote and turnout.
We know that this association was a surprise for many people. The three of us are now communicating closely and we understand that these goals unite us very strongly. We call on all of you to support us.
On Sunday we went to Dzerzhinsk together and spoke in Minsk on Bangalore square. And your support has charged us with energy. I will repeat once again – you are our hope. We are very grateful to you. Our future depends on each of you. Share information, engage actively. We have only three weeks to achieve our goal and change Belarus.
Why do we need a white ribbon?
It is one of the possible control mechanisms proposed by “Honest People” initiative. Wear it now and come to the polling station with it. We’ll see honest people by honest ribbon! You can also carry it with you and give it away to friends and acquaintances. It can be just a stripe of paper, gauze, bandage, a bracelet. That way we’ll see each other and enjoy how many of us there are.
Will there be agitation materials for Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya?
The official leaflets and posters of Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya have already gone to print. There will also be a kit for agitation. It is very important to agitate every Belarusian. By law, anyone can campaign for and against any candidate. Links to all materials for joint campaigning will be posted on our official website and social networks soon.
In what cities will be held meetings with you and confidants?
The three of us are planning to visit from 20 to 30 cities. A large number of pickets will also be held without our participation. In total, we have planned 160 pickets and meetings. Keep an eye on the schedule. We will promptly inform you about the meetings. From Thursday or Friday we will already start to visit the cities of Belarus.
Why is there was no information from the headquarters for so long?
We are now applying for pickets, planning routes. We have a large team of three headquarters, so we need to discuss a lot of issues with each other, look for compromises, come to an agreement. But when people are united by one goal, it’s very easy to reach an agreement. We must have enough effort, wisdom and desire to change something. This process takes time, but the result will be our joint activities.
From Viktar Babaryka’s staff, I want to thank Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and Valery Tsepkala. We do a very cool job together. It is very difficult for all of us now, but it is very important that we support each other, listen and hear each other, because we have a common goal.
How can we financially support Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya’s headquarters?
We have published all the information about the fundraising in our social networks today. Instructions can also be found here.
We ask all concerned citizens to respond. Note: the maximum donation from an individual is 540 rubles, from a legal entity – 1350 rubles. Many people have already responded to the call to support the election fund of Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya. Thank you for that! This is just an example of the mutual assistance that we have seen since COVID-19 fundraiser initiatives. When thousands of people remained indifferent to other people’s problems and helped each other.
What is your relationship with Svetlana and Veronika?
From the very first moment we met, we looked closely at each other. But when we were in private, we realized that the three of us have one goal in common. Now we go out for coffee, we like to discuss women’s joys, which we have been deprived of the last couple of months. Our lives since May have only been about the campaign. Communicating with each other gives us great joy. We have found support and encouragement in each other. The women’s team is a strong, very stable and very productive team.
How are Viktar and Edward doing?
I haven’t received letters from Viktar in a long time, although I have sent him four big letters already. I got an answer to one. I haven’t gotten anything from Edward yet. But we know they’re cheerful and they support us and believe in success in every way. It charges us with energy and positivity.
