Candidates debate like a team
A live broadcast of the debates of Belarusian presidential candidates was shown on Belarusian TV on Saturday. All the candidates except Alyaksandr Lukashenka took part in them. Every candidate had an opportunity to make a 1.5-minute speech at the beginning. Uladzimir Nyaklyayeu made his speech and claimed that it could not be called “debates” and that he “saw no sense or use in them”. Nyaklyayeu urged Belarusians to come to the square on December 19 and left.
The presenters of the debates Yury Prakopau and Andrei Kryvasheyeu tried “to joke” and said they would have “to talk to an empty pedestal”. However, Vital Rymasheuski rebuffed them and demanded to stop the mockery.
Andrei Sannikau also noted that it “was not debates but the BT’s trickery”, he said that “Belarus had a historic chance at the moment” and that “we could all celebrate the New Year’s Day in a free Belarus”.
The majority of the candidates touched upon the theses of the programmes. Ryhor Kastusyou reminded that “one candidate was absent” and urged people not to take part in the early voting.
Then the presenter suggested starting “the real debates” and began asking questions. The first one was addressed to Ryhor Kastusyou and concerned his statement about pro-Russian candidates. However, Kastusyou claimed: “I have already discussed it with these people myself without your assistance”. Andrei Sannikau dotted all the i’s and crossed all the t’s by saying that all the candidates had agreed “to ignore questions asked by the people they had not chosen and approved” before the debates. He urged security agencies to obey the law.
Prakopau and Kryvasheyeu still tried to make the candidates “talk” asking them questions about relations with Russia, visas and the candidates’ Belarusian identity. Yaraslau Ramanchuk’s answers were the most detailed. Mikola Statkevich tried to stop him addressing Lukashenka in the usual way and demanded a fair election.
Dzmitry Us mentioned his appeal to the state signed by 7 presidential contenders where he demanded to include candidates’ representatives in election committees. Victar Tsyareshchanka’s speech was unexpectedly harsh. “We are not going to bring petroleum from Venezuela in buckets!”, - he claimed.
8 candidates were given 30 seconds each to make their final speeches at the end of the broadcast. They urged not to take part in the early voting and to gather in the square on December 19.
Yury Prakopau tried “to sum up” the debates but some candidates had already started leaving the studio and the others started disputing. Evidently, the debates did not correspond to the scenario planned by their organizers.
The presenters of the debates Yury Prakopau and Andrei Kryvasheyeu tried “to joke” and said they would have “to talk to an empty pedestal”. However, Vital Rymasheuski rebuffed them and demanded to stop the mockery.
Andrei Sannikau also noted that it “was not debates but the BT’s trickery”, he said that “Belarus had a historic chance at the moment” and that “we could all celebrate the New Year’s Day in a free Belarus”.
The majority of the candidates touched upon the theses of the programmes. Ryhor Kastusyou reminded that “one candidate was absent” and urged people not to take part in the early voting.
Then the presenter suggested starting “the real debates” and began asking questions. The first one was addressed to Ryhor Kastusyou and concerned his statement about pro-Russian candidates. However, Kastusyou claimed: “I have already discussed it with these people myself without your assistance”. Andrei Sannikau dotted all the i’s and crossed all the t’s by saying that all the candidates had agreed “to ignore questions asked by the people they had not chosen and approved” before the debates. He urged security agencies to obey the law.
Prakopau and Kryvasheyeu still tried to make the candidates “talk” asking them questions about relations with Russia, visas and the candidates’ Belarusian identity. Yaraslau Ramanchuk’s answers were the most detailed. Mikola Statkevich tried to stop him addressing Lukashenka in the usual way and demanded a fair election.
Dzmitry Us mentioned his appeal to the state signed by 7 presidential contenders where he demanded to include candidates’ representatives in election committees. Victar Tsyareshchanka’s speech was unexpectedly harsh. “We are not going to bring petroleum from Venezuela in buckets!”, - he claimed.
8 candidates were given 30 seconds each to make their final speeches at the end of the broadcast. They urged not to take part in the early voting and to gather in the square on December 19.
Yury Prakopau tried “to sum up” the debates but some candidates had already started leaving the studio and the others started disputing. Evidently, the debates did not correspond to the scenario planned by their organizers.
