Democracy News
Europe’s Last Dictator Claims Victory in Belarusian Presidential Election
December 21, 2010
By: Randi Zung | Printer Friendly
On December 19, citizens in Belarus staged massive demonstrations in the capital city of Minsk after incumbent candidate, President Alexander Lukashenko, won re-election for a fourth consecutive time in a landslide victory that was decried as massively fraudulent. The demonstrations were prompted after Lukashenko denounced the opposition and stated that no one would be gathered in the square outside of the government building to protest the poll. According to figures from the country’s electoral commission, Lukashenko received nearly 80 percent of the overall votes.
Immediately after the polls closed, Voice of America reported that the Belarusian riot police staged a violent crackdown on the tens of thousands gathered opposition demonstrators. Reporting on the crackdown, the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party reported that at least 250 opposition protestors were beaten and arrested. Other victims of the crackdown included four presidential candidates – Vital Rymasheuski, Vladimir Neklyaev, Andrej Sannikov, Mikalaj Statkevich – who had gone to the main government building to initiate peace talks with the Lukashenko government. The four candidates were not let inside the building. When the doors to the building finally opened, a large number of riot police stormed out and immediately began to beat the candidates and protestors with batons. Additionally, the riot police also used noise cannons and flooded the streets with water to create a slick sheet of ice to discourage protestors from gathering.
During a press conference Lukashenko asserted that the government’s security forces responded appropriately to the demonstrations. BBC News reported that Lukashenko stated, “You saw how our law-enforcers behaved. They stood firm and acted exclusively within the bounds of the law. They defended the country and people from barbarism and ruin.” In response to accusations that the election was flawed, Lukashenko said that the government had done everything possible to ensure that the vote was democratic and open.
In a statement, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) criticized the vote and said that it was “flawed.” In addition to the “heavy-handed” crackdown, the OSCE also stated that the ballot counting process lacked transparency. Ambassador Geert-Hinrich Ahrens, head of the long-term election observation mission, said that it was not possible to make a positive assessment of the election. In closing, the OSCE stated that the country’s current legal electoral framework failed to meet internationally agreed upon standards.
Echoing the OSCE’s statement, the United States (US) government “strongly [condemned]” the election. In its own statement, the Office of the Press Secretary said that the Obama administration would not accept the election’s results as legitimate. The US statement also called on the government of Belarus “to protect its citizens’ right to free media.”
A day after the election, the New York Times reported that the United States Embassy in Minsk stated, “We are especially concerned over excessive use of force by the authorities, including the beating and detention of several presidential candidates and violence against journalists and civil society activists.” It was also reported that security forces were continuing to arrest members of the opposition by going to their homes, including presidential candidates and their aides.
On December 21, BBC News reported that approximately 600 protestors had been jailed within the two weeks leading up to the election. The victims of the pre-election crackdown could potentially be sentenced to up to 15 years in jail if they are found guilty of participating in “mass disturbances.”
A former part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), the country of Belarus is often referred to as the “last dictatorship of Europe.” Since Lukashenko assumed office in 1994, Belarus has been criticized by the European Union for failing to take steps to improve democracy or human rights in the country. Belarus has not held a credible poll since Lukashenko took office.
For more information, please see the Belarus case study in the Diplomat’s Handbook for Democracy Development Support.
Sources:
BBC News - 'Hundreds of protesters arrested' in Belarus
New York Times - Belarus Police Arrest Opposition Leaders
BBC News - Belarus jails 600 activists over election unrest
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