UNITED CIVIC PARTY SET TO REMOVE FOR FREEDOM

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MINSK 000717 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/21/2017 TAGS: PGOV PINR BO SUBJECT: UNITED CIVIC PARTY SET TO REMOVE FOR FREEDOM ACTIVISTS FROM LEADERSHIP POSTS REF: A. MINSK 439 ¶B. MINSK 522 ¶C. MINSK 205 ¶D. MINSK 453 Classified By: Charge Jonathan Moore for reason 1.4 (d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) The United Civic Party (UCP) will require anyone holding a leadership position both within the party and in former presidential candidate Aleksandr Milinkevich's "For Freedom" movement (FF) to choose one spot of the other. While this decision attempts to focus the energies of UCP leaders, the struggle for access to foreign financing may play a significant role as repression from the regime continues to prevent party members from earning a livelihood. Post hopes internal opposition disputes will decrease as attentions turn to organizing fall street protests and selecting candidates for 2008 parliamentary elections. End summary. UCP Tells 11 Leaders to Step Down or Resign FF Positions -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) On July 30, the UCP (ref A) political council declared that all those holding a leadership position within the party should not simultaneously occupy a leadership post in former presidential candidate Aleksandr Milinkevich's FF (ref B). UCP Chair Anatoliy Lebedko claimed to DCM that the decision was taken in order to ensure that those in management positions could devote sufficient time and energy to their party responsibilities. Rank-and-file UCP members were free to occupy leadership positions within FF, and UCP leaders could belong to FF, according to Lebedko. ¶3. (C) UCP Deputy Chair Vladimir Chervonenko told Acting Pol/Econ Chief the decision affected 10 regional UCP leaders and fellow national Deputy Chair Lyudmila Gryaznova. The 11 have until August 30 to decide. As of August 15, none of the 11 FF-UCP leaders had declared they would give up their positions within FF. Material Resources the Primary Issue? -------------- ¶4. (C) Chervonenko echoed Lebedko's explanation that the UCP wanted to maintain a smoothly functioning organization and worried that those with leadership positions in both organizations could face competing demands down the road. However, Chervonenko put much more stress on competition for material resources. He said that UCP's national leadership had learned that some of the 11 people in question received assistance from foreign donors and put the money to "unknown uses without the knowledge of (Lebedko)." In contrast, Chervonenko noted that an NGO he was affiliated with, Pan Evropa, was associated with UCP. UCP Members Envy Supposedly Relatively Wealthy FF Activists -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C) Chervonenko, who claimed FF had tried to recruit him, said that political party members who join FF could start enjoying a better lifestyle. He made a thinly veiled reference to BNF Brest oblast Chair Yuriy Gubarevich (ref C), who moved to MINSK upon becoming Milinkevich's deputy. Indeed, some prominent UCP members have complained of recent financial difficulties. Deputy Chair Igor Shinkarik had to sell his car. Aleksandr Zolotar of Fanipol (ref C),the only UCP member currently holding elected office, asked post about construction opportunities in the United States because local employers would not hire him for political reasons. Increasing Political Activity May Mute Internal Differences -------------- -------------- ¶6. (C) Gryaznova told Acting Pol/Econ Chief that Lebedko's recent decision to become a co-organizer, along with Milinkevich and others, of the European March scheduled for October 17 could signal that the dispute will blow over. Herself a fervent Milinkevich supporter, Gryaznova believes several UCP members, including Chervonenko and fellow Deputy Head Yaroslav Romanchuk, could have pushed the ultimatum in an overzealous attempt to please Lebedko. Once they realize Lebedko is able to work together with Milinkevich on issues of mutual interest, the anti-FF party members may back down, Gryaznova said. MINSK 00000717 002 OF 002 Comment: Divide and Be Conquered -------------- ¶7. (C) The United Democratic Forces' congress in May (ref D), by setting aside the leadership issue, provided an opening for the coalition and Milinkevich to stop bickering and focus on broadening their base of public support. Andrey Sannikov, head of the NGO "Charter 97," admitted as much to Charge August 20. Having hailed Milinkevich's abilities earlier in the year (while denigrating the political parties),Sannikov now realizes that the opposition needs to work harder to broaden its message and base of support. ¶8. (C) It is true that Milinkevich and others within the opposition are still prepared to devote considerable attention to differences with each other. If this dispute remains confined as expected to less than a dozen opposition supporters, little harm will result. Hopefully, planning for opposition rallies in the fall and seemingly positive preparations for next year's parliamentary elections will provide a more practical outlet for the opposition's energies. Moore