BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

12.16.2005

Belarus Sets Date for Presidential Vote

Belarus' parliament set March 19 as the date for presidential elections, giving the opposition just a week to register a candidate to challenge authoritarian incumbent Alexander Lukashenko.

Election officials previously had said the vote would be held in July. Opposition candidate Alexander Milinkevich said moving up the date showed Lukashenko feared his rival's rising popularity.

"Lukashenko is afraid," Milinkevich told The Associated Press. "It is evident that the security services have informed him about real attitudes in society, that my support as a presidential candidate is drastically increasing."

The new election date means presidential candidates have one week to submit a list of 100 supporters for their nomination.

Lukashenko, first elected in 1994, has prolonged his rule through elections and referendums that opposition groups and Western governments say were fixed. Last year, a popular vote gave him the right to run for a new term in 2006 and in any future elections.

Lukashenko has reintroduced Soviet symbols, closed independent media and maintained rigid Soviet-style state controls over the economy. Many opposition leaders have been jailed or have disappeared. The United States has labeled him "Europe's last dictator."

The announcement of an election date came a day after Lukashenko visited Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. During their brief meeting, Lukashenko reiterated his country's close ties to Russia.

The two leaders share concern over the popular uprisings that have brought Western-leaning leaders to power in former Soviet republics Ukraine and Georgia.

Lukashenko has accused Western nations of seeking to foment unrest to overthrow his government. He has vowed to thwart any such revolution.

Source:

http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/ap/2005/12/16/ap2399087.html