Paval Latushka commented on the statement by the organizing committee of the Razam party about its refusal to participate in the Coordination Council elections. The decision was announced today by Viktar Babaryka.
Babaryka said that the principles of formation and interaction of all institutional bodies of the democratic forces in exile should be changed. He also stated that the party’s organizing committee had allegedly tried to postpone the Coordination Council elections to autumn. On behalf of Razam, Babaryka expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the Council.
Latushka said he had not previously heard of any proposals to postpone the elections until autumn.
“As the leader of the largest faction in the Coordination Council, I am hearing for the first time that someone attempted to postpone the Coordination Council elections until autumn. Therefore, it is very surprising for me to hear the statement of the Razam party’s organizing committee that they allegedly initiated the postponement of the elections,” Latushka said.
He noted that for any political party, elections are the most democratic way to determine the level of voter support.
“In the previous Coordination Council elections, our coalition ‘Latushka i Rukh “Za Svabodu”’ received around 2,400 votes. Therefore, today we have the right to speak on behalf of Belarusians who voted for us. I do not know on whose behalf other politicians will speak, but most likely they will only be able to represent their personal position.
It looks even more strange when a declared political party, not registered and never having taken part in elections, refuses to participate in the electoral process. From the experience of European democracy, we know very well that those who do not participate in elections, as a rule, leave the political stage.
To be frank, for me as a politician, it is strange today to have to call on those who want to participate in the political life of Belarus to take part in elections. I could never have imagined that this would be one of the problems in building democracy in our country,” Latushka said.
Paval Latushka called on Belarusian citizens to take part in the Coordination Council elections.
“Take part in the elections on May 11–17, 2026, and make your choice in favor of those who are ready to continue fighting, working, and achieving results,” he said.
As of March 30, six electoral subjects have submitted documents to participate in the Coordination Council elections: “European Choice,” “Law and Order,” the coalition “Latushka and Rukh ‘Za Svabodu’,” the bloc of Belarusian political prisoners “Belarus Action,” “Stop Being Afraid!,” and the United Civic Platform.
