Presidential candidate Korotkevich: I want to unite Belarusians who want peaceful changes

“We want to unite those people who are today waiting for peaceful changes, and by being united, we want to show that we need many changes. We, supporters of changes, deserve to be talked to, to be heard and to be involved in the resolution of issues,” Korotkevich said in an interview with BNS during her visit to Vilnius last week.

Korotkevich has been nominated for Belarusian president by four political powers.

In her words, opposition parties in Belarus had planned to nominate one presidential candidate but that’s, according to the politician, is impossible due to a split Belarusian society.

“Today our society is very much divided, and the incumbent government has always done that. It has divided people into working and non-working, democrats or oppositionists. Even when we had one opposition candidate, we still failed to get voter support,” the candidate said.

Korotkevich says she is part of a Belarusian opposition group that wants fair elections in the country and is looking for an alternative to the policy of long-standing Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

“There’s a part of the opposition that is waiting for fair elections just happen. But I am with that democratic community that wants to do something for that to happen. We need an alternative if we want real elections to take place,” the Belarusian politician said. “If we say ‘yes, he (Lukashenko) is a dictator and everything is in his hands and therefore we won’t take part in the elections’, it would be illogical.”

Korotkevich also believes that Belarus, contrary to what Ukraine is doing, doesn’t need to rush to join international Western organizations. In her words, Belarus needs to maintain good relations based on cooperation with all neighboring countries and also needs closer cooperation with the European Union.

Belarus will hold presidential elections in the fall. Korotkevich has been nominated by the BPF Party, the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Assembly) and the movements “For Freedom” and “For Truth”.

Born in 1977 in Minsk, Korotkevich has a Master’s degree in social psychology and lectured in various Belarusian universities for 12 years. She launched her political career in 2010.

Besides Korotkevich, Anatoly Liabedzka, leader of the United Civil Party of Belarus, and the Liberal Democratic Party leader Sergey Gaidukevich, will also run for Belarusian president.

Ruling Belarus since 1994 and often criticized for gross election violations and the persecution of opposition members, Lukashenko will also seek re-election.