By Larysa SAYENKO, The Day
According to the data of the opposition central election committee, over
one million of the electorate of 7.3 million have voted during the first
four days of the opposition presidential elections.
The Ministry of Justice of Belarus officially warned opposition parties
and movements that their activities might be stopped because of participation
in the presidential campaign, not sanctioned by the authorities, that started
on May 6 and will last for 10 days.
"In connection with the participation of a number of parties in so-called
'elections of the President of the Republic of Belarus,' the Ministry of
Justice issued a written warning to 13 parties and movements. This fact
could be cause for refusal of these parties' and unions' registration,"
reads the statement published on May 11.
By decree of Belarus President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, whose term should
have terminated in July but was extended at the referendum until the year
2001, all parties and movements must be reregistered before July 1 of this
year.
Moreover, the condition of registration is official recognition of the
changed Constitution that has concentrated all power in the President's
hands and formed the National Assembly.
"We understand that our front can be closed down, for we do not recognize
the changes in the Constitution, but we cannot give up the elections, the
citizens' natural right. Now we are seeing before our eyes the destruction
of every principle of democratic society," Yuri Khodyka, Deputy Head of
Belarus National Front told The Day.
According to the data of the opposition central election committee,
over one million of 7.3 million of the electorate have voted during the
first four days of the opposition presidential elections, which comes to
15% of the necessary 50% plus one vote.
The members of election committees come to the electorate's homes offering
ballots with two candidacies, Zenon Pozniak, the political ОmigrО who runs
the BNF from abroad, and Mikhaila Chigir, former Prime Minister who is
confined before trial and accused of embezzlement (Amnesty International
has named Chigir a prisoner of conscience).
"The head of the Homel committee, Yevgeny Murashko, has been detained
for ten days, and over 50,000 ballots have been confiscated in several
regions. In all, since the beginning of the campaign in February more than
1000 people have been warned, fined and arrested, Alyaksandr Koktysh, Press
Secretary of the central election committee told The Day.
Last week in Minsk the chief of Chigir's election headquarters, ex-Minister
of Internal Affairs Yuri Zakharenko completely disappeared. Proceedings
against him were instituted for obstructing police activities. The Ministry
of Internal Affairs does not have at its disposal any information concerning
Zakharenko's whereabouts.
Criminal proceedings against CEC head Viktor Honchar were instituted
for usurpation of power, for which he might be imprisoned for up to two
years. He has already spent ten days in custody, despite protests from
international organizations, the Council of Europe, and the USA.
The West did not recognize the results of the referendum in Belarus,
but the opposition elections have been completely supported by only the
USA, where Congress adopted an appropriate resolution at the end of April.
Minsk






