Belarusian
      elections
      held
      last
      week
      left
      the
      small
      nation
      in
      a
      state
      of
      civil
     
     
      insurgency
      as
      police
      arrested
      protesters
      who
      were
      contesting
      the
      passing
      of
     
     
      a
      constitutional
      amendment
      that
      will
      allow
      for
      President
      Alexander
     
     
      Lukashenko
      to
      run
      for
      office
      in
      the
      next
      presidential
      election.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      small
      Eastern
      European
      nation
      of
      10.3
      million
      declared
      independence
     
     
      from
      the
      Soviet
      Union
      in
      1991
      but
      has
      since
      been
      labeled
      a
      “Hermit
      king-
     
     
      dom”,
      while
      Lukashenko
      is
      often
      referred
      to
      as
      “Europe’s
      last
      dictator’.
     
     
      His
      regime
      began
      in
      1994
      when
      he
      was
      elected
      on
      an
      anti-corruption
      plat-
     
     
      form.
      Since
      then,
      his
      government
      has
      cracked
      down
      on
      dissidents
      and
      is
     
     
      reportedly
      responsible
      for
      the
      disappearance
      of
      four
      members
      of
      the
      oppo-
     
     
      sition,
      not
      to
      mention
      the
      incarceration
      of
      countless
      other
      opponents.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      referendum
      was
      held
      in
      conjunction
      with
      legislative
      elections,
      that
     
     
      saw
      the
      election
      of
      110
      members
      to
      the
      Parliament,
      or
      Natsionalnoye
     
     
      Sobranie,
      the
      overwhelming
      majority
      of
      whom
      are
      supporters
      of
     
     
      Lukashenko.
      The
      referendum
      asked
      citizens
      if
      they
      were
      for
      or
      against
      a
     
     
      constitutional
      amendment
      that
      would
      waive
      the
      traditional
      law
      that
      stated
     
     
      that
      Presidents
      have
      a
      two
      term
      limit
      in
      office.
      Lukashenko’s
      term
      would
     
     
      have
      normally
      ended
      this
      year,
      had
      he
      not
      held
      a
      national
      referendum
      in
     
     
      1996,
      extending
      his
      first
      term
      by
      two
      years.
      Prior
      to
      the
      vote
      this
      past
     
     
      week,
      it
      was
      evident
      that
      Lukashenko
      was
      short
      of
      the
      majority
      that
      was
     
     
      needed
      to
      pass
      the
      amendment,
      however
      the
      final
      result
      indicated
      about
     
    
   
   
    
     
      77%
      for
      the
      ‘yes’,
      with
      about
      90%
      of
      eligible
      voters
      turning
      out
      to
      vote
      in’
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      election
      and
      on
      the
      referendum
      issue.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Controversy
      ensued,
      as
      opponents
      to
      the
      Lukashenko
      authoritarian-style
     
    
   
   
    
     
      government
      complained
      that
      Belarusian
      state
      television
      continued
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
      broadcast
      exit
      polls
      throughout
      the
      day
      and
      ran
      pro-Lukashenko
      ads
      even
     
     
      as
      the
      voting
      continued,
      in
      violation
      of
      several
      election
      laws.
      Independent
     
     
      media
      sources
      also
      reported
      that
      some
      photographs
      appeared
      to
      indicate
     
     
      that
      some
      polling
      station
      officials
      were
      handing
      out
      ballots
      that
      were
     
     
      already
      marked
      ‘yes’
      in
      favour
      of
      the
      constitutional
      amendment.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      US
      Election
      Night
      at
      The
      Wave
      ———
     
     
      of
      the
      United
      States
     
    
   
   
    
     
      pace,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      race
      for
      President
      e
      Ur
     
     
      continues
      to
      be
      a
      close
      affair
      with
      John
     
    
   
   
    
     
      e
      Bush
      very
      close
      in
      most
     
     
      pate
      pl
      ieaac
      of
      the
      a
     
     
      ues
      10
      Be
      ve
      jay,
      The
      UPEL
     
    

    
     
      left
      before
      election
      Gdy-
     
    

    
     
      a
      Studies
      Society
      invites
      ae
      ee
     
     
      come
      watch
      the
      United
      States
      He
      :
     
     
      Election
      coverage
      at
      the
      Wave
      a
     
     
      evening
      of
      Tuesday,
      November
      2nd.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      country’s
      opposition
      parties
      held
      a
      press
      conference
      following
      the
     
     
      vote,
      condemning
      the
      electoral
      misconduct
      of
      the
      election,
      and
      charging
     
     
      that
      some
      people
      were
      barred
      from
      the
      polling
      stations,
      while
      students,
     
     
      hospital
      patients
      and
      factory
      workers
      were
      forced
      to
      vote
      in
      favour
      of
      the
     
     
      President.
      Police
      intimidation
      was
      also
      commonplace
      at
      polling
      stations,
     
     
      as
      was
      the
      discounting
      of
      groceries
      and
      the
      distribution
      of
      free
      bread,
      cof-
     
     
      fee
      and
      beer
      in
      an
      apparent
      attempt
      to
      entice
      voters.
      “This
      is
      100
      per
      cent
     
     
      dictatorship,”
      said
      one
      Belarusian,
      Viadmir
      Kuzuro
      was
      quoted
      as
      sayng
     
     
      in
      The
      Globe
      and
      Mail
      this
      week.
      “He
      has
      created
      a
      situation
      where
      there’s
     
     
      no
      alternative
      to
      him.”
      During
      protests
      following
      the
      release
      of
      the
      results,
     
     
      at
      least
      46
      protesters,
      including
      two
      opposition
      leaders,
      were
      arrested
      or
     
     
      injured
      by
      police.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Both
      the
      United
      States
      and
      the
      European
      Union
      expressed
      concern
      and
      a
     
     
      lack
      of
      confidence
      in
      the
      Belarusian
      election
      process,
      stating
      before
      the
     
     
      vote
      that
      they
      doubted
      that
      it
      would
      be
      conducted
      fairly.
      In
      response
      this
      |
     
     
      unease
      levied
      by
      these
      countries
      and
      neighboring
      Poland,
      Lukashenko
      was
     
     
      reported
      as
      saying
      “The
      West
      has
      been
      expressing
      its
      concern
      for
      10
      years.
     
     
      Turn
      to
      your
      own
      problems
      and
      resolve
      those.”
      After
      US
      Congress
      passed
     
     
      the
      Belarus
      Democracy
      Act,
      aiming
      at
      funding
      opposition
      parties
      in
     
     
      Belarus,
      Lukashenko
      continued,
      saying
      that
      its
      members
      were
      “dumb
     
     
      asses”.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      next
      presidential
      elections
      in
      Belarus
      are
      scheduled
      for
      September
     
     
      2006.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      Cadre
      October
      26,
      2004
      page
      5