OPPOSITION CONDUCTS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN BELARUS.

On May 7 the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) of the Belarusan opposition, authorized by the legitimate parliamentary leadership, began balloting for the parallel presidential election scheduled for May 16. The CEC has created numerous local commissions throughout the country whose members intend to go from house to house with portable ballot boxes and collect votes. Under a provision of the electoral law which predates President Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s dictatorship, balloting can, under certain circumstances, be conducted during a ten-day period in advance of the official date of the election. Lukashenka’s presidential mandate expires this coming July under the 1994 constitution, which the opposition and the European democracies deem valid. Lukashenka imposed another constitution in 1996 which prolonged his presidential mandate until 2001.

The opposition’s election is a mainly symbolic exercise intended to demonstrate that a substantial body of the citizenry opposes Lukashenka’s authoritarian rule, does not recognize his constitution and sympathizes with the national-democratic opposition. The opposition fields two candidates, both in absentia: former Prime Minister Mikhail Chyhir, currently detained by the authorities, and Popular Front leader Zyanon Paznyak, a political emigre since 1996 (Belapan, May 7-8).

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