Belarus’ “Unofficial” Union of Poles Elects New Chairperson

As many as seven people were nominated for the position, but five of them, including UPB founder Tadeusz Gawin and former UPB chairperson Andzelika Borys, withdrew their candidatures.

As many as 112 delegates voted for Jaskiewicz and 105 delegates voted for the reelection of Andzelika Orechwo for a new term.

Jaskiewicz, formerly deputy chairperson of the UPB, vowed to exert every effort to promote Polish culture in Belarus.

The Union of Poles in Belarus split into the official UPB, that is, the one recognized and backed by the Belarusian government, and the unofficial (unrecognized) UPB after Borys was elected leader of the Union at a convention held in March 2005 and the Belarusian justice ministry declared her election illegitimate. At a government-orchestrated repeat convention held a few months later, Jozef Lucznik, a retired Polish language and history teacher, was elected new leader. Supporters of Borys contested the legitimacy of the repeat convention, accusing the government of installing loyal people at the UPB helm.

Many of the UPB members, including Gawin, refused to recognize the new leader, siding with Borys. At a conference held in Hrodna in September 2009, Stanislaw Siemaszko, a 57-year-old local businessman who ran hotels in Hrodna and Shchuchyn, was elected to succeed the 73-year-old Lucznik, but the Polish government still regarded Borys as the only legitimate leader of the Union.

In June 2010, Borys surprisingly stepped down as leader of the unofficial UPB and Orechwo was elected to succeed her.

A large UPB delegation led by Orechwo met with Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski in Warsaw on October 24.

Orechwo said at the meeting that without support from the Polish government, the organization would find it hard to do its work “under the conditions of lawlessness,” according to the Polish foreign ministry’s press office.

“We have managed to survive thanks to such positive steps,” she said, referring to Warsaw’s assistance.

Sikorski promised that Warsaw would continue supporting the Polish ethnic community in Belarus. He said that Poland spearheaded efforts in the European Union to promote democratic and European values in Belarus. “We are a country that provides the most generous support to both its compatriots and those who seek to create civil society in Belarus,” he was quoted as saying.

The meeting was attended by 45 people, including the leaders of the UPB chapters in Minsk, Brest, Ivianiec and Vaukavysk. Under discussion was cooperation between the Polish foreign ministry and the organization, including issues concerning funding, education and support for Polish-language media outlets.

Sikorski urged the media to provide “responsible” coverage of the situation of the Polish ethnic minority in Belarus.

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