The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe has extended the mandate of the delegation of the Belarusian democratic forces for the next two years

Pavel Latushka: Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, Representative of the Cabinet for the Transition of Power, Head of the National Anti-Crisis Management, Leader of the "Latushka Team and the Movement 'For Freedom'" faction within the 3rd convocation of the Coordination Council.

"Today’s discussion is a contribution to the future; it is a new experience for Belarusians that they will later be able to implement in a democratic", said Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet and delegate of the Coordination Council Pavel Latushka during the working meeting "The 12 Principles of Good Democratic Governance of the Council of Europe: Introduction, Tools, and Best Practices", organized by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe at the request of the delegation of the Belarusian democratic forces, which consists of members of the Coordination Council in the Congress.

"For us, the Congress is a unique place to gain experience in local democracy. The future of Belarus lies precisely in expanding the powers of local authorities and decentralizing power. This stands in contrast to what Lukashenko has created, when complete centralization and personalization of power took place, and when all decisions, even at the lowest level, are made only with his consent. We understand the importance of this reform and are working on it. The Coordination Council has also considered a draft law on local authorities in Belarus. This is one of our priority areas for all democratic forces fighting for change", Pavel Latushka emphasized.

During his speech, Pavel Latushka noted that work continues on the United Transitional Cabinet’s project "Personnel Reserve for a New Belarus", under which, with the assistance of European countries, opportunities are being created to train new potential cadres. He also noted that the project "Personnel Reserve for a New Belarus" is being implemented in Poland, where around 100 future potential Belarusian diplomats have already been trained.

"The elections that took place to the Coordination Council are an example of direct democracy using electronic technologies. The democratic movement abroad managed to organize this in an unprecedented way. This is transparency, technology, and e-democracy. We are proud of the fact that we succeeded in doing this. We plan to hold future elections in which Belarusians will be able to vote, not merely be present.

Taking advantage of this meeting, I would like to thank the Congress for the formalized decision of December 15 to extend the mandate of the delegation of the Belarusian democratic forces in the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities for the next two years. This is very important for us and motivates us to continue our work. I would also like to thank you for the 'green light' for representatives of the Coordination Council to participate in observing local elections in the member states of the Council of Europe. This will be a unique experience for us that we will be able to apply in future democratic elections in Belarus.

The 12 Principles of Good Democratic Governance of the Council of Europe are, without doubt, the foundation of our work. These principles are our future, and we will work toward them in a focused and consistent manner", Pavel Latushka noted.

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