The Greens criticize bill on political parties

January 25, BPN. Belarusian Greens Party leader Dźmitry Kučuk has criticized the bill on political parties passed by Belarusian MPs earlier today by pointing out that it contradicts the Constitution and would undermine parties financially.

If the bill makes it through the Council of the Republic and is signed into law, parties would have to pay the rent for their offices in Minsk and over 43 places across the country, he said on Facebook. “These expenses would require at least 150,000 rubels [some $57,000],” he said. “Personnel costs: even if each office’s secretary gets the minimum of 250 rubels per month, it will total 130,000 rubels per year,” he added.

Apart from that, parties need funds to promote their platforms, host round-table conferences, print leaflets and run for parliament. Kučuk said the bill specifies membership fees and party press revenues as the sources of funding, but even 15 rubels per year in fees from 5,000 members wouldn’t be enough for a party to maintain its offices.

“We can conclude that the new bill […] has nothing new that would allow the Republic of Belarus to develop party building and boost the role of political parties,” he said. “Even the registered parties wouldn’t be able to function effectively because the economics needed to keep them running have not been developed.”

The House of Representatives passed the bill on political parties and public associations on January 25. It would require all the existing parties to re-register. Human rights and political activists are wary that it would effectively allow only pro-government political organizations to operate.