Opinion: Parties in Belarus should unite the country, not divide it

It is important for political parties in Belarus to unite the country rather than to split it into pieces through party rivalry, Rector of the Academy of Public Administration under the aegis of the President of Belarus Vyacheslav Danilovich told the media after attending the meeting of the Belarusian head of state with the heads of political parties on 10 November, BelTA has learned.

Speaking about the significance and results of the meeting, the expert drew attention to the mutual understanding between the head of state and party leaders on the key issue - the parties' activities should be unifying and constructive. “All four parties registered in Belarus stand on the state patriotic positions, as well as our president. It is very important and valuable for all of us to preserve our Belarus in this raging geopolitical sea, to defend our right to live on this land as we see fit. This is the key point that unites almost all the political parties that participated in the meeting with the head of state,” Vyacheslav Danilovich said.

“All parties should be heard. But first of all, party members should take an active public pro-state position in terms of not destroying what we have, but improving and leading people along the path of constructive development. Yes, it is necessary to criticize the authorities. But criticism should be constructive,” he continued.

The expert sees the development of party building in the future as the improvement of each party, highlighting its distinctive features: “The president [during the meeting with party leaders] emphasized that each party should have its own zest and bring it to the people. In this respect, as the head of state said, party building will get informational support. So that people understand the difference between, for example, the Communist Party and the Republican Party of Labor and Justice.

“I emphasize: the parties must get real support from our people, they must be recognizable. People should understand what kind of parties they are, what their differences are,” Vyacheslav Danilovich added.

In his opinion, the upcoming election campaign will give the parties a great opportunity to show themselves to the maximum on the media landscape and in the communication with voters. Thus, people's trust in political parties will begin to grow after the elections.

“It is very important that we unite the country, not split it apart, pitting one party against another. There should be a competition of ideas,” the expert is convinced. “People should understand [the ideas, goals, objectives of this or that party] and choose what is closer to their hearts.”

“All parties, which are represented in Belarus, are aimed not at destruction, not at defending the interests of players from outside, but at defending the sovereignty and successful development of our country. They are patriotic parties in essence. The most important thing is that they are determined to preserve our country, statehood and sovereignty,” Vyacheslav Danilovich said.