Official press refuses to publish Franak Viachorka's electoral program

The state-owned Mazyr newspaper Zhyttsio Palessia refused to publish the program of candidate Franak Viachorka.

As the youth activist told BelaPAN, an answer signed by the newspaper's editor Larysa Chornaya, says his program violates Article 75 of the Electoral Code. The article, in particular, says a candidate’s program shouldn’t contain 'warmongering, appeals to violent change of the constitutional order, violation of territorial integrity of the Republic of Belarus, to social, national, religious and racial enmity, offenses and slander in relation to officials of the Republic of Belarus'.

According to Viachorka, the editor found slander in the phrase 'officials are spending our money'. The candidate sent a request to the Central Election Commission asking to give legal evaluation of his program and also changed the phrase for the newspaper: 'Officials don’t starve due to our money'.

According to Viachorka, his program focuses on three themes – returning the status of radiation contaminated city for Mazyr, repair of roads, necessity for the authorities to serve people.