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Belarus leader wins overwhelming vote for new term
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-10-18 14:47
Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko, accused in the west of flouting
democratic norms, won overwhelming approval in a referendum to run for a third
term in office, the top election official said Monday.
Lidiya Ermoshina, head of the Central Election Commission, said 77.3 percent
of registered voters had backed Lukashenko's proposal to remove a constitutional
provision limiting him to two terms. The vote will enable him to run again in
2006.
An elderly
Belarus woman (L) gets help in filling in the ballot in a village of
Eroshovka, some 32 miles southeast of Minsk, Oct. 17, 2004.
[Reuters] | Lukashenko, who has run the ex-Soviet state since 1994, needed 50 percent of
seven million voters -- not merely a majority of those voting Sunday -- to alter
the constitution.
"These figures show a clear victory. The changes involved are of a
fundamental nature and the figures show how important the referendum was for the
country's stability," Ermoshina told a post-midnight news conference.
"A decision has been made by a considerable majority. I consider it an
elegant victory which has consolidated our country and taught a lesson in
patriotism to our young people."
She described the turnout of 90 percent as "unprecedented."
Lukashenko's liberal opponents, speaking long before the polls closed, said
the vote was subject to unprecedented cheating and intimidation.
Voters were also choosing a new parliament where the opposition, subject to
periodic crackdowns, hoped to win a few seats to chip away at Lukashenko's grip
on power.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which had said the
poll was threatened by a "climate of fear," a lack of debate and eroded media
freedoms was to give its assessment Monday. It had 300 observers at polling
stations.
The Soviet-era farm boss used referendums in 1996 to prolong his stay in
power a first time and dissolve parliament. That and all elections since were
denounced in the West as fraudulent.
As results came in from throughout the country, the extent of Lukashenko's
victory became apparent.
Even the capital Minsk, where the hard-pressed opposition is strongest, gave
74 percent approval in the early counting, though not all residents were happy.
"This is nothing short of tragic," said Yuri, a late-night taxi driver. "He
will now have all the power to put as much pressure as he likes on everyone.
Everything will now be directed at winning the next election."
State television, held in check by authorities, had showed a succession of
sports and cultural figures throughout the evening praising Lukashenko for
ensuring stability and a measure of prosperity 13 years after the collapse of
Soviet rule.
Lukashenko had appeared confident after casting his ballot, pledging to work
hard if endorsed by voters and telling the West it had no business criticising
his style of government.
Despite allegations of irregularities, the outcome reflects support for
Lukashenko after a decade in power based on promises to restore certainties of
the communist era.
Western countries accuse Lukashenko of hounding his opponents, interfering in
the election process and closing down independent media outlets. They decry his
refusal to abandon Soviet-style command economics.
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