| Belarusian Presidential Election, 2006 |
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The elections for the position of President of Belarus took place on March 19 2006 . The winner of the elections holds the office until the next round of scheduled elections, which are determined by the country's House Of Representatives . Western observers have deemed the elections rigged. The Organization For Security And Co-operation In Europe (OSCE) declared that the election "failed to meet OSCE commitments for democratic elections." However, election observers from the Commonwealth Of Independent States (CIS) described the vote as open and transparent. CANDIDATES On February 17 2006 , the Central Election Commission approved the following list of candidates:
Former candidates
PRECEDING EVENTS Both the European Parliament and United States Congress issued warnings that Belarus may expect more sanctions and similar punitive actions in the case of violation of Human Rights during the elections. The United States already has sanctions on Belarus due to past election issues, as stated in the Belarus Democracy Act Of 2004 , which also allows it to provide assistance to political parties and NGOs. 1 The CIS observer mission at the Belarusian presidential elections commented that "the negative statements made in the EU and the United States are attempts to create predetermined negative sentiments in the international community toward elections results in Belarus. Such actions towards a sovereign state hardly comply with standards of international law," according to the same election monitoring body. 2 The OSCE have also sent monitors to Belarus to observe the elections and to make sure the elections are free from any irregularities. On March 1 2006 , opposition candidate Alaksandar Kazulin attempted to enter the third meeting of the All Belarusian People's Assembly , which was hosted by President Lukashenko. Security officers arrested and beat Kazulin, who was charged with disorderly conduct, and then held in custody for eight hours.3 In the build-up to the elections, several Georgians who were part of the OSCE observer team were intercepted by the Belarusian Frontier Guard and placed under custody. Lukashenko also announced that protests similar to what occurred during the Orange , Rose and Tulip revolutions will not take place in Belarus and states that "force will not be used" to claim the presidency.4 (Link dead as of 15 January 2007 ) RESULTS On March 19 2006 exit polls showed Lukashenko winning a third term in a landslide, amid opposition claims of vote-rigging and fear of violence.5 The EcooM organization gave Lukashenko 84.2% of the vote and Milinkevich just 2 percent, while the Belarusian Committee of Youth Organizations gave Lukashenko 84.2% and Milinkevich 3.1 percent. The Gallup Organization has noted that EcooM and the Belarusian Committee of Youth Organizations are government-controlled and both released their exit poll results before noon on election day, although voting stations closed at 8 p.m. {Link without Title} Lukashenko was sworn in for his third term on April 8 2006 . REACTION Belarusian authorities Belarus authorities initially vowed to crush unrest in the event of large-scale protests following the election.6 Since then, however, they have decided to use more subtle methods of attrition to subdue protesters.7 (Link dead as of 15 January 2007 ) Lukashenko declared victory and defeat of "The Jeans Revolution ", promising not to jail Milinkevich and Kozulin.8 |
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