Due to non-availability of appropriate conditions for a full-fledged agitation campaign there is a conflict growing between its participants and authorities

The Aliaxandr Milinkievich team filed a complaint with the Central Election Committee and the Procurator's Office against the decision by Minsk City Executive Committee, which only allows large scale agitation events to be conducted in specified places. The lawyer Uladzimier Labkovich, Milinkievich's trusted agent, believes this to be violation of the election law: “Article 45 of the Election Code says that agitation is conducted in the form of meeting electors and in the form and place suitable to the electors. I wonder how the authorities identified such places, because, for example, in Minsk such places are obviously far away from where most people live or access passages, etc.”
The Central Election Committee treats the election law differently. The CEC Secretary Mikalai Lazavik argues: "If this is connected with organizing a gathering, the local authorities are there to provide for the order in the city and control the process”. According to Mr. Lazavik, the Central Election Committee instructed the local authorities to quickly solve the issues arising in the course of the agitation campaign.
What is happening in the regions is even stranger. The residents of Maladechna, for example, still have not been informed of agitation places. “The decision is taken. Places have been identified. That’s not all that simple: you come out to the square and deliver a speech. The city has three places. On Wednesday the newspaper will print those places”, said Aliena Sierafontava, the secretary of the district election committee, to Radio Liberty.
For the residents of Asipovichy, the local rules of the agitation campaign have not been explained, as can be understood from the explanations provided by the secretary of the district election committee Maryna Kuliesh: “No place available yet. No decision taken by the executive committee so far”.
In Salihorsk, the authorities identified such places for mass agitation events. The local authorities even informed the residents of such places. But, Larysa Nasanovich, Salihorsk democratic movement activist says, these rules can hardly make people happy: “Salihorsk does not have a single outdoor location for agitation. Agitation is only allowed indoors. There are five places – five indoor locations for agitation".
Thus, the authorities conscientiously prevent full-value agitation for the alternative candidate.