Razam (, , , ) is a Belarusian political party founded by
Viktar Babaryka and
Maria Kalesnikava
Maria Kalesnikava (Marya Alyaksandrauna Kalesnikava / Maria Aleksandrovna Kolesnikova; born 24 April 1982) is a Belarusian professional flutist and political activist. In 2020, she headed Viktar Babaryka's electoral campaign during the presid ...
on 14 June 2020. According to the party leaders, Razam is independent of the work of the
Coordination Council, a Belarusian non-governmental body created by presidential candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya to facilitate a democratic transfer of power as the result of
the 2020 Belarusian presidential election.
History
Razam was established on 14 June 2020, ahead of the contested
2020 Belarusian Presidential election
Presidential elections were held in Belarus on Sunday, 9 August 2020. Early voting began on 4 August and ran until 8 August.
Incumbent Alexander Lukashenko was announced by the Central Election Commission of Belarus, Central Election Commissi ...
. The party's founders later supported
Svetlana Tikhanovskaya
Sviatlana Hieorhiyeuna Tsikhanouskaya (; born 11 September 1982) is a Belarusian political activist. After standing as a candidate in the 2020 Belarusian presidential election, 2020 presidential election against the president Alexander Lukashe ...
's claim to have won a decisive first-round victory with at least 60% of the vote in the presidential election on 9 August 2020. The party aims to uphold the demands of the
Coordination Council based on Tikhanovskaya's election program. Razam members have been actively participating in the Coordination Council's work to resolve the political crisis through a peaceful dialogue.
On 19 June 2020, Babaryka proposed to amend the
Constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed.
When these pri ...
through a referendum. Razam leaders insisted that it was impossible to form an effective governing system in the country without presidential term limits, a clear separation of powers, and meaningful input from the parliament.
Criticism
Political scientists are skeptical about the possibility of the official registration of the party. No political parties have been registered in
Belarus
Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...
since 2000. The registration of the party does not favor the
Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (also transliterated as Alyaksandr Ryhoravich Lukashenka; born 30 August 1954) is a Belarusian politician who has been the first and only president of Belarus since the office's establishment in 1994, making hi ...
regime. However, journalists and political commentators note that there is nothing wrong with organizing supporters of change.
References
External links
Решение о создании партии «Вместе»
{{DEFAULTSORT:Razam
2020 establishments in Belarus
Belarusian opposition
Political parties established in 2020
Political parties in Belarus