Babaryka wanted to run for president in 2015. But his wife didn't allow it

Viktor Babaryka with his wife Marina and children. Archival photo from the 1990s

Answering a question about the happiest moment in his life, Babaryka admitted: "It was when my wife agreed to become my wife."

The politician recalls that he proposed on October 31, 1987 — just two weeks after they met. However, the internal decision had already been made during their first meeting:

"I made the proposal to myself on the very first day I saw her. And two weeks later, I came and said that I was proposing. She was very surprised because it was only our second date. She said something like: 'Maybe there's something wrong with this man's head.' I said: 'Maybe. But I don't have time, because it's time.'"

Babaryka explained the reasons for such confidence:

"One of my unknown, let's call them, fantasies was that my wife would definitely not be Belarusian, but a girl from the Caucasus. I don't know why, honestly. (…)

And when I saw her — she is, after all, a girl from the Caucasus, half-breed, half-Georgian — I said: 'That's it, this is my wife.' And I told her exactly that when I proposed."

Would his wife have allowed him to risk everything for a political career in 2020? Viktor Babaryka notes that it's difficult to say, but adds:

"She had a very well-developed sense of the emotional correctness of actions. In 2015, she didn't allow me to do it. (…) I believe that was absolutely correct. That is, I didn't have the confidence or the necessity to do it [in 2015]. And that's why she reinforced that."

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Marina Babaryka. Archival photo

As for the events of 2020, Babaryka believes the reaction could have been completely different: "With a high degree of probability, I think that in 2020, both my rational intellect and her emotional intellect would have given permission for this."

As the former banker explains, in such decisions, the children's perception of the situation is of great importance to him. In his opinion, they very subtly perceive the emotional atmosphere around them and help to understand whether a person is ready for such steps. As Babaryka recalls, the children never felt that he regretted his decisions or believed he failed to do something necessary. According to Babaryka, this was also very important to his wife.

As the politician argues, "material life would hardly have held her back from this [decision to support him]."

Viktor Babaryka admits that even now he correlates his actions with how his wife would have evaluated them: "I am definitely not ashamed before her. And that is important to me."

Reflecting on his wife's significance in his life, Babaryka summarizes:

"She truly made me. In terms of understanding the importance not only of what you do for yourself, but the importance of what you do for others."

As Babaryka notes, Marina appeared in his life during a period when he was primarily focused on "making himself": "I was very lucky that this stage was very short. I needed to start building a family, not just myself."

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Marina and Viktor Babaryka. Archival photo

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