This Sweet Word: Ex-President of Belarus

(In Belarus People Are Marking One Year Anniversary of the Rigged Elections)

3/19/2007, Minsk, Belarus

On March 19, 2006 voters in Belarus went to the polls to vote for a "new" president. The Election Day came following a rigged Referendum in October 2004 which cancelled the Constitution's two-term limit for Belarusian presidents. Four candidates took part in the elections: present pseudo-president Lukashenko, main opposition candidate Aleksandr Milinkevich, United Social Democratic Party leader Aleksandr Kazulin (who is now in prison for 5,5 years), and Belarusian Liberal Democratic Party leader Sergey Gaidukevich.

The trick with the manipulation of election commissions results was very simple: 98% of votes for Lukashenko were received in the "special" early voting scheme which was not controlled and monitored by observers at all, so Lukashenko could collect as many votes as he had wanted to collect even before the day of the elections.

So it was not a surprise to anybody to hear the announcement that Lukashenko won with about 83% of votes with just 6% voting for Milinkevich. When in reality Lukashenko has got only about 42% of votes and Milinkevich - 38%. In normal democratic election campaign it was supposed to be a second round of elections because pseudo-president Lukashenko did not get 50% of votes.

Thousands of protesters throng the main square of the Belarusian capital of Minsk, refusing to recognize a presidential vote that appears all but certain to give "president" Lukashenko a third term. Dozens thousands of Belarusians rallied on Kalinouski Square protesting against rigged presidential election results and stayed on the square till March 25 when they were thrown away by the police in the middle of the night.

That's why on March 19, 2007 a rally on the anniversary of mass protests against the rigged results of the presidential election in Belarus took place on October Square in Minsk. Several dozens of young activists, as well as the leader of the United Civil Party Anatoliy Lebedzko have taken part in the action. The event has been called by its participants "a signal" of the start of spring demonstrations in Minsk. People wanted to lay flowers on the square venerating the deed of thousands of protesters. Participants of the action have called upon Belarusians to come to Kalinouski Square in Minsk on March 25 to celebrate the 89th anniversary of proclamation of the Belarusian People's Republic Freedom Day together.

Participants have managed to stay on the square for about 15 minutes.