Lukashenka’s Buddy Resigns

Belarusian mass media actively discuss the recent resignation of Uladzimir Kanapliou, speaker of the National Assembly, the regime-controlled parliament of Belarus.

Mr. Kanapliou is an old-time friend of Lukashenka, one of the few those who were in Lukashenka’s team back in 1994 and remained in power until now. In the beginning of August “Belarus Partisan”, the website famous for providing insider information from the Belarusian governmental circles, claimed that there are rumors, that Kanapliou will either soon be arrested, or forced to resign “due to poor health”. If that was really the case, then Kanapliou had evidently chosen the latter.

There are different opinions about the reasons for the resignation. Most observers agree that the poor health is hardly the case for it. According to some versions Kanapliou has stepped into an oil puddle by pushing too hard for his interests in the oil business.

The Polish newspaper “Gazeta Wyborcza” claims that Kanapliou was “eaten” by the “young bulldogs” of Lukashenka, headed by the president’s son Viktar, who is now the personal security adviser of the head of state.

There is no information about the present whereabouts of the ex-speaker. Allegedly, he is somewhere in Russia – either in St. Petersburg or in Sochi.

Siarhej Hajdukevich, chairman of the quasi-oppositional Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus, already voiced his desire to become the new speaker of the National Assembly. However, this is hardly anything more than a PR-stunt. Hajdukevich habitually runs for presidency and then, having lost, applauses the newly-elected Aliaksandr Lukashenka. He will most likely welcome the newly appointed speaker, for this is the president who decides, who will run the National Assembly.

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