MINSK, 30 July (BelTA) – A significant segment of the Belarusian internet is used to fan tensions in the country, Chairman of the National State Television and Radio Company (Belteleradiocompany) Ivan Eismont said in the evening political show on the Belarus 1 TV channel on 29 July, BelTA has learned.
“The country is going through the election campaign. Ten days of campaigning are ahead and the situation is already tense. Is it really tense in the country or just on the pages of social networks?” Ivan Eismont wondered. “There is no doubt that today a significant segment of the Belarusian internet is used to stir tensions, no matter how innocent these rabble-rousers pretend to be.”
According to him, many experts who are analyzing the recent developments in the country note that the existing problems are exaggerated many-fold in the internet to make people overwhelmed by them while real facts are distorted. “They persuade people that the way they live is very bad, that the authorities make their life harder. They blame the authorities for all problems and assign the lion's share of the blame to the head of state. Instead of suggesting ways to solve the problems, they give vague promises of achieving the living standards like in developed countries of Europe,” Ivan Eismont added.
In his words, some candidates spew lies during electoral speeches including on TV. “They target emotions only. Everyone, who asks questions about the governance of the state, ways to solve problems, is branded as provocateurs,” the chairman of Belteleradiocompany said.
