Students of Vitsebsk State University named after Masherau spoke publicly against pre-term elections.
Students expressed their thoughts against participation in the pre-term elections in an open letter of the students of group 43 of the Belarusian Philology and Culture Department of the Vitsebsk State University to the Dean of the Department.
Vitsebsk State Uiversity
To the Dean of the Department
Mr. Nesciarovich
We, students of the group 43, being conscious citizens of independent and democratic country – the Republic of Belarus – and realizing the importance of a current moment in political life of the republic – holding of a republican referendum and elections to the chamber of representatives of National Council of the Republic, discussed some aspects of legal acts, international documents in the sphere of Human Rights. To be precise, we referred to the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus, Electoral Code of Belarus, Universe Declaration of Human Rights and International Pact on civil and political rights.
As a result of the discussion held after consulting of the respective documents we concluded that one of the main principals of democratic elections is the principle of free elections which means that the voter freely decide whether to participate in the elections and in favor of whom to vote (article 65 of the Constitution). This principle also means that nobody has the right to force citizens to participate or not participate in the elections.
On the grounds of above written we determine our civil position in the following way:
1. Elections and referendum is the most important event in the life of the republic and it is civil liability of each of us to determine our attitude towards it.
2. Each of us will vote during the elections and referendum on the decided date (in advance or on the day of the elections) or will not participate; in any case this is our right which we want to use consciously and according to our own conscience.
Twelve people signed the letter.
www.sapega.org
”SPRING” INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
