BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

23/08/2006

The Belorussian Opposition Appeals Election Results

Yesterday the Superior Court of Belarus began to consider an appeal from the opposition demanding that the results of the country's March 19 presidential election be annulled. Opposition figures did not expect success, but rather hoped to attract the attention of their fellow citizens and, in particular, Western leaders after a prolonged silence. To remind the West even more clearly of its existence, the opposition sent its emissary to Washington. At the same time, the Belorussian government began the process of shutting down the country's Communist Party, which many see as a unifying link between members of the opposition.

The Superior Court of Belarus yesterday began to consider an appeal from the opposition protesting the results of the March 19 presidential election and demanding new elections. The judges received the text of the appeal, which was signed by 6,000 people, as well as 700 pages of reports detailing voting irregularities at polling stations.

The Belorussian opposition began the process of filing the appeal to the Superior Court at the beginning of April. Aleksandr Bukhvostov, the former head of opposition candidate Aleksandr Milinkevich's campaign initiative, coordinated the appeal process. The leaders of the opposition set him a simple task - to put together the documents and collect signatures. But the task turned out to be far more difficult. At first, Bukhvostov promised to finish by August 1, but in the process of getting signatures he was repeatedly picked up by the police for trivial infractions. Not until last Friday was the packet of documents, weighing eight kilograms, finally delivered to the Superior Court.

Milinkevich's press secretary, Pavel Mozheiko, told Kommersant on the eve of the delivery that the opposition is not counting on success: "We have dealt with the Belorussian justice system before, and we know where it stands," he said. According to Mozheiko, the opposition is prepared to exhaust all its legal options, from the Superior Court of Belarus to the United Nations Human Rights Commission. "Our main goal is to show people, governments, and the international community that we are here and that we have not given up," said Mozheiko. Describing the opposition's plans in the event the appeal is denied, he said "only the people on the street can change the situation in Belarus, but in the immediate future we are not looking to rile up the people; right now the most important thing for us is to take part in demonstrations in the courts." Mozheiko summed up his remarks by noting that "there is no heroism in serving an extra 15 days in prison, none at all."

In the meantime, the Belorussian opposition is reminding people of its existence not only with legal appeals but also with the help of personal contacts. On Monday Aleksey Korol, the deputy head of the Belorussian Social Democratic Party (BSDP) and the right-hand man of the party's jailed leader, Aleksandr Kosulin, met in Washington with David Kramer, the American deputy assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasia. Korol asked American diplomats to help the Belorussian opposition to create an alternative to the country's official mass media by means of satellite channels, radio stations, and Internet portals. Kramer assured his guest that Washington will not desert the Belorussian opposition and that it will continue to offer its support.

At the same time, Belorussian officials intensified their clean sweep of the political field. The target of the most recent attacks was the Belorussian Communist Party (PKB), which many experts consider to be the main force cementing the unified opposition. Last weekend Minsk city officials declared that the PKB had broken rules in setting up its offices, meaning that the entire party structure in the capital is illegal and will have to be shut down. Communist Party leader Sergey Kalyakin accused the mayor of political theatrics and promised to fight on to the end. Lamented Kalyakin, "legally we are in the right, but in Belarus it is not the rule of law that holds sway, but the law of power."

Aleksandr Gabuyev

Source:

http://www.kommersant.com/page.asp?idr=12&id=699600

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