The first meeting of the renewed Coordination Council was held.

In 2020, when there were hopes for a quick change of power, a council was created to organize the transition of power.

Olga Kavalkova, a member of the presidium of the council, told about what this structure should do now.

She also criticized possible new EU sanctions.

  • The context has changed, we have not been able to quickly change the government, so the functions of the Coordination Council will change.

    There are several possible competencies for the council: development and coordination of strategic proposals for a democratic community, development of positions on issues important to society, development of a vision of a new Belarus, alternatives to the current system.

  • The council will also have something that the others do not have - a discussion on issues important to society.

  • It is planned that there will be 115 members of the Council.

    About 90 percent of the current staff are not in Belarus.

    Those people who are in Belarus are excluded from open activity.

    We are also currently discussing additional security measures.

  • The model of organizing our work is similar to the parliament, but there is still no mechanism of direct democracy for electing delegates.

  • I accept the argument that the procedure for nomination to the council resembles the so-called "All-Belarusian People's Assembly", where everything is opaque.

    It's an imperfect procedure, but it's the only algorithm we can offer today.

  • We aim to organize an electronic voting procedure in a year, if we cannot change the government in Belarus, in order to renew the composition of the council.

  • I am against introducing the same sanctions against Belarus as against Russia, until Belarus is officially involved in the war.

    Because this does not give the regime the opportunity to take any steps to stabilize the situation.

  • The current position of the European Union is formed taking into account the position of Svetlana Tsikhanovskaya's office and the transitional cabinet, but I do not consider this position correct.

  • Belarus is not yet participating in the war because the regime does not want it.

    If Putin had full influence, she would already be involved.

    I think that there are internal opinions of both the military and Lukashenka himself.

    They understand what it can lead them to.

  • Today, Belarusians see the impossibility of obtaining a visa, the impossibility of going to the European Union, they see sanctions.

    I miss a positive message from the European Union to the Belarusian society.

    Apart from the message "we will introduce more sanctions", there are no others.

  • If it is important for the European Union to promote democratic values, including for Belarusians, then the target audience of the European Union should be Belarusian citizens, not Lukashenka's regime.

  • Alyaksei Znatkevich

    Journalist of Radio Svaboda

    znatkevicha@rferl.org

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