Authorities probe oppositions mobilisation capacities ahead of elections

Minsk authorities have sanctioned the demonstration and opposition rally on March 25^th under the slogan “Together for peace and independence!” dedicated to the Freedom Day (Dzien Voli).

The authorities have decided not to ban the traditional opposition rally, but have readjusted the timeframe – from 3 pm to 6 pm (instead of 6 pm to 9 pm) in order to create additional inconvenience for the organisers and to reduce participation. In addition, by observing the demonstration the Belarusian leadership will assess the opposition’s mobilisation capacity and evaluate the security forces’ readiness to control the situation during mass opposition actions ahead of the presidential election. Depending on participation and the course of the demonstration, the Belarusian authorities will choose more or less rigid scenario for the election campaign in 2015