BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

17/01/2010

Belarusian Lukashenko Alone at the Top

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Belarusian president Aleksandr Lukashenko has no clear contender in the country's political field, according to a poll by IISEPS. 42.5 per cent of respondents would vote for the incumbent in the next presidential election.

Aleksandr Milinkevich of the United Democratic Opposition is far behind with an insignificant 4.3 per cent, followed by Aleksandr Kozulin of the Social Democratic Party with 2.4 per cent.

Belarus seceded from the Soviet Union in 1991. In 1994, independent candidate Lukashenko won the presidential election, boosted by his popularity after acting as chairman of an anti-corruption parliamentary committee. Lukashenko remains the country's president to this day.

In March 2006, Lukashenko won the presidential election with 82.6 per cent of the vote. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said the ballot "did not meet the required international standards for free and fair elections" and was "severely flawed due to arbitrary use of state power and restrictions to basic rights."

In late 2008, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved a $2.5 billion U.S. loan for Belarus. As part of the conditions to receive the funds, the Belarusian government was expected to devalue the national currency by 20 per cent. The devaluation came into force in January 2009.

On Jan. 11, Lukashenko warned that Belarus is facing increasing challenges to its integrity as a nation and urged Russian officials to work harder at finding common ground for a security strategy, adding, "I think the need has arisen to draft a fundamental agreement that should regulate the provision of security for the Belarusian state."

Polling Data

If a presidential election took place tomorrow in Belarus, who would you vote for?

Aleksandr Lukashenko

42.5%

Aleksandr Milinkevich

4.3%

Aleksandr Kozulin

2.4%

Other / Not sure

50.8%

Source: Independent Institute for Social, Economic and Political Studies (IISEPS)

Methodology: Face-to-face interviews with 1,514 Belarusian adults, conducted from Dec. 2 to Dec. 12, 2009. No margin of error was provided.

Source:

http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/view/belarusian_lukashenko_alone_at_the_top/


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