Byelorussian President Alexander Lukashenko running for 3rd Term - Russian Ukrainian Belarus Travel Music Woman Dating News

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Byelorussian President Alexander Lukashenko running for 3rd Term
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Posted by: rtking

On CNN world news here in Taiwan, it's been reported that 77% of Belarus approved the refferendum to abolish term limits for Byelorussian Presidents.

Lukashenko will be running for a 3rd term.

It was also reported that the EU is calling into question the poll since Lukashenko has a history of reporting inaccurate poll numbers and skewing poll results.

Interesting...

Bob

Posted by: Jill

Bob, what are you talking about? Every poll shows that at least 83% of the people of Belarus love and admire their great leader!

OK, Ukraine is next! Anyone care to place a bet on who wins?

Posted by: rtking

Hee hee!

Lukashenko is gonna win the presidency again for sure. I'm sure it won't be such a surprise...

Now about the US election... that's gonna be close!

Bob

Posted by: Khashyar

When I saw that news story, I understood why Lukashenko had been focusing on so many improvement projects in Mogilev and other cities (trying to win the "hearts" of the Belarusian people)

I have to scan and post a photo of Lukashenko that I have in a book about churches that I bought in Belarus...

Khashyar

Posted by: Khashyar

Lukashenko in Mogilev with some Orthodox Priests...

Posted by: Khashyar

I believe that this photo demonstrates what a wonderfully religious man Lukashenko is

Posted by: Khashyar

(From the official Belarusian Government website)>

"Meeting with President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mohammad Khatami who arrived in our country on an official visit. September 10, 2004"

Posted by: Khashyar

another Photo...

Posted by: Khashyar

"President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko on a working trip to Vitebsk region during which he visited Verkhnedvinsk district and the town of Verkhnedvinsk. July 15-16, 2004."

Posted by: Khashyar

Perhaps this boy is nervous that he is meeting the President of his country...

Posted by: Khashyar

"Military parade in Minsk on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus from the German Fascist invaders. July 3, 2004."

(I wonder what Lukashenko's relationship with Germany is like today?

)

Posted by: Khashyar

"A friendly hockey match between the team of the President of the Republic of Belarus joined by the "Dynamo Plus" team and the participants of the World junior hockey championship. April 19, 2004."

Posted by: Khashyar

"Alexander Lukashenko together with his sons playing for the team of the border troops on the occasion of the Border Guards Day. Service in the border troops is a family tradition of the President of the Republic of Belarus."

(I wonder if anyone had the courage to "check" the President

....)

Posted by: Khashyar

I am actually impressed that Lukashenko can play hockey...

I wonder if Putin plays? I would like them to face off on the ice to determine whether the Belarusian Ruble is going to merge with the Russian Ruble.

Posted by: Pin Boy

great pictures khashyar...when you read about what this guy and is doing along with putin and the guy from ukraine it makes you realize why things are changing so slowly...do people really believe these poll numbers?

lately i have been sooo fed up with the presidential campaigning..it's overkill and i wish we could just vote tomorrow and get it over with already...but when you i shenanigans like this and obvious manipulation it makes me feel better about our system...i just wish we could have a happy medium about this and many other issues in this world

pin boy

ps how bout some more pics of those beautiful belarussian women???

any pics of girls playing hockey?

Posted by: Khashyar

Hi Pin Boy

I don't have any photos of Belarusian women playing hockey, but whoever has any is certainly free to post them

***

Regarding the results of the referendum:

The Central Election Commission said 77 percent of voters supported the measure which eliminated the 2 term limit for the Belarusian President, which allows Lukashenko to run again for President in 2006. (He has been President of Belarus since 1994).

Thousands of Belarusians protested in Minsk near the Presdential administration, and although witnesses reported that 20 people were detained, the Belarusian government stated that no one was detained.

“We regret that Belarus missed an opportunity to take a step closer to the European family, where it belongs,” said Tone Tingsgaard, vice president of the Organization for Security and Cooperation Parliamentary Assembly.

The OSCE, which sent 270 observers to watch the elections, said the vote “fell significantly short” of democratic standards.

Here is what the AP reported regarding the election:

The opposition said the whole process was riddled with violations.

A government-endorsed exit poll indicating the referendum would pass was broadcast repeatedly on state television while polls were still open. Under Belarusian law, exit poll results cannot be announced until voting has ended to avoid influencing those who have not yet cast ballots.

Opposition leaders also charged that authorities had arrested more than half of the 200 exit pollers from the independent Gallup Organization/Baltic Surveys.

That independent exit poll found only 48.4 percent of 37,602 respondents said they voted to scrap presidential term limits, short of the simple majority needed for the measure to pass.

The opposition saw some 40 percent of its candidates for parliament stripped from the ballots. Opposition leaders said their observers were barred from some voting stations, and they complained candidates were threatened with losing their jobs.

‘Suggestion of ballot-stuffing’
Ambassador Audrey Glover, head of the OSCE observation mission, said in many cases observers were not allowed to monitor the vote count, and those who were let in reported phone conversations between election workers participating in the count and unidentified interlocutors. She said in some cases there was “suggestion of ballot-stuffing.”

The OSCE observers pointed to the exclusion of many candidates from the parliamentary election, police raids on campaign offices and strong bias in state-controlled media.

“The dominant influence of the state administration was apparent at all levels of the election process,” Glover said.

Central Elections Commission Chairwoman Lidiya Ermoshina insisted election laws were not violated.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry put its stamp of approval on the referendum, saying it reflected the will of the people and had proceeded “in a calm and transparent way.”

Posted by: Khashyar

Not surprisingly, here is what the TASS Russian news agency wrote today:

US puts pressure on international observers in Belarus

MINSK, October 16 (Itar-Tass) - The U.S. State Department puts pressure on international observers during the election campaign in Belarus, the Belarussian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

The U.S. Department is trying to make international observers in Belarus “to give a negative assessment to the election campaign,” the statement says.

It stresses, “The American State Department is making attempts to make in doubt the results of the election campaign in Belarus.” The Belarussian ministry made a statement in response to State Department spokesman Richard Boucher’s commentary on the upcoming elections and referendum in Belarus scheduled for Sunday.

Boucher said according to the OSCE reports, the election campaign in Belarus is full of violations. To this end, the Belarussian ministry asked to explain what reports Boucher refers to “because the previous two reports given by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights is of balanced and technical nature.”

The ministry said, “We have an impression that the OSCE Mission observe both the elections and the referendum.” At the same time, “the OSCE Office decided not to observe the referendum and thus, it cannot come to any conclusion,” the ministry added

Posted by: Khashyar

Press release from the OSCE (The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe)>>

Belarus elections fell significantly short of OSCE commitments

MINSK, 18 October 2004 - The 17 October parliamentary elections in Belarus fell significantly short of OSCE commitments for democratic elections. The Belarusian authorities failed to ensure the fundamental conditions necessary for the will of the people to serve a basis for authority of government. Freedom of expression, association and assembly were seriously challenged. This calls into question the willingness of the authorities to respect the concept of political competition on a basis of equal treatment, concludes the OSCE Election Observation Mission in a statement, issued today.

Around 270 international observers from 38 countries observed the voting and counting on behalf of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

"Democratic principles were largely disregarded by the authorities. Many candidates were actively excluded from registering or were deregistered, which limited the choice of voters," said Tone Tingsgaard, Vice-President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, appointed by the OSCE Chairman-in-Office as the Special Co-ordinator for the Short-term observers. "Although we were here to observe the parliamentary elections, we found that the Referendum largely overshadowed the parliamentary election campaign."

Ambassador Audrey Glover, Head of the Long-term Observation Mission, deployed by the OSCE ODIHR added: "Equally worrying were police raids on campaign offices, the detention of a candidate, campaign workers and domestic observers, as well as numerous reports of coercion on certain groups, particularly students, to vote. The dominant influence of the State administration was apparent at all levels of the election process."

There were restrictive rules on campaigning, which were further exacerbated by instances of discrimination in favour of pro-government candidates and against the opposition. State media demonstrated a strong bias, portraying the opposition in overwhelmingly negative terms, while conducting an extensive campaign in favour of the incumbent political forces.

The Election Observation Mission believes that aspects that could have contributed positively to the process were the possibility for candidates to have a fixed amount of free television and radio airtime, and the possibility to print a statement free of charge in the state press. This was however not sufficient to address the overwhelming media imbalance. There was at least a minimal degree of competition in the majority of constituencies, but in ten constituencies there was only one candidate. The Election Commissions met all deadlines foreseen in the law.

Although not specifically observed, the Election Observation Mission noted that the scale of the Republican Referendum proposing the removal of the two-term limit on the office of the president, its unrestrained bias and its unregulated intrusion into polling stations contributed to a highly distorted campaign environment.

On election day the voting was generally assessed positively in around 9 out of 10 polling stations, although basic information was frequently withheld from observers. The counting proved very problematic, as the counting lacked transparency in the majority of polling stations observed. Numbers were not being announced aloud as they were being established, observers were only given a limited view of the process, and procedures for compilation of protocols were not followed. There were instances where observers noted that some early voting ballot boxed appeared to have been stuffed.