MP Elena Anisim seeks civil society support to put pressure on authorities

Last week, MP and first Deputy Chairman of the Belarusian Language Society Elena Anisim held a meeting with voters in a regional train. Elena Anisim kept a certain distance from the controversial opposition initiatives hoping to cooperate with the authorities on a constructive agenda to promote the Belarusian language. However, apparently, Anisim faced with inertia in the government and could not find allies among officials, who also kept a distance from the ‘oppositional’ parliamentarian. Since couloirs talks led to zero results, she prompted public pressure, inter alia through the Belarusian Popular Front and the Belarusian Language Society to promote the Belarusian language agenda. Elena Anisim is likely to seek closer cooperation with civil society and the opposition with mild criticism of the Belarusian leadership in order to support her initiatives with public pressure.