BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

09/01/2006

Ex-ally of Lukashenko drops out of election

MINSK, Belarus

A former top ally of President Alexander Lukashenko said Monday that he would not run in the approaching presidential election, and he accused Lukashenko of deceiving the people of Belarus.

Alexander Voitovich, the speaker of Parliament until he was ousted in 2003, said none of the eight registered candidates for the March 19 vote had been given access to state-run media outlets as part of their campaigns. Nearly all independent media outlets have been shut down under Lukashenko.

"The entire election campaign," Voitovich said, "is being conducted to give the impression of the legality of the third term for President Lukashenko. I don't want to enable the creation of an illusion for the electorate." Voitovich was the head of a committee that in 2004 granted Lukashenko the right to run for a third term. (AP)

Source:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/01/09/news/briefs.php

Google
 


Partners:
Face.by Social Network
Face.by