BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

November 05, 2005

Belarus' Lukashenko confident of winning 2006 presidential elections

Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko said he is confident that he will win the 2006 presidential elections, Interfax news agency reported on Friday.

"If I am reelected, I will continue to do what I have been doing for the past ten years. I am not going to ask anybody to vote for me. The people will make the right choice if no pressure is put on them," Lukashenko said during a working trip to the Glusk district in the Mogilyov region to the east of Minsk, capital of Belarus.

"The issue is not whether you will elect me or not. I will continue to work if you are satisfied with my performance. I will offer you my services and program and tell you what I am going to do," the president said.

Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, is accused by Western countries of undermining democracy by cracking down on opponents, squeezing out independent media and clinging to Soviet-style economics in the country of 10 million people.

He said he never deceived or robbed the Belarussian people, and the country, unlike other countries, has not received any aid over the past decade. "Nobody has given us a kopeck. We owe nothing. We can openly look into the eyes of Europe, America and Russia," the president said.

Lukashenko expressed the hope that "if a new person comes to power after the elections, he should pursue a policy that will meet the people's interests."

He has been accusing certain Western countries, especially the United States, of interfering in Belarus's affairs and is determined to follow the self-selected way.

Source: Xinhua

Source:

http://english.people.com.cn/200511/05/eng20051105_219183.html