Elections in Belarus
Encyclopedia
Belarus elects on national level a head of state
- the president
- and a legislature
. The president is elected for a five year term by the people. The National Assembly (Нацыянальны сход, Nacyyanal'ny skhod) has two chambers
. The House of Representatives (Палата прадстаўнікоў, Palata Pradstawnikow) has 110 members elected in single-seat constituencies elected for a four year term. The Council of the Republic
(Савет рэспублікі, Saviet Respubliki) has 64 members, 56 members indirectly elected and 8 members appointed by the president
.
Belarus is a state in which the president dominates. Opposition parties
are allowed, but are widely considered to have no real chance of gaining power.
took place. Before the adoption of the state constitution, Belarus had a prime minister ever since they broke away from the Soviet Union. At the time, Vyachaslaw Kyebich was the prime minister. At the end of the first balloting in June 1994, Kyebich was slated to face the other candidate, Alexander Lukashenko
.
Presidential elections - first round:
Presidential elections - second round:
Due especially to the multitude of candidates and the high thresholds required for election, only 18 Deputies were outright victors in the first round of voting and only 101 more (of 432 remaining candidates) in the second on 28 May. The resulting total of 119 fell short of the two-thirds (174) legal quorum which would have allowed the new legislature to sit. Polling for the remaining 141 seats accordingly took place on 29 November, when 865 candidates were in the running. Only 20 Deputies were then returned. On 10 December, runoffs between the two leading candidates were held in the other 121 constituencies; 59 more seats were then filled so that, with an overall total of 198 Deputies definitely chosen, the quorum was finally reached. Due to shortages in the applicable electoral majorities, 62 seats still remained vacant.
to vote on four issues:
The date of the referendum coincided with the date of the elections to the Parliament. On April 11, 1995, the Parliament considered the questions for the referendum, approved the date, but approved only the question regarding economic integration with Russia.
Alexander Lukashenko
declared that he would not change his decision and left the Parliament. 19 members of the Parliament from the Belarusian Popular Front decided to carry out a hunger strike
within the Parliament building, protesting against the president organizing the referendum despite the parliament's decision. They were beaten and forcibly removed by OMON
. The parliamentarians sued the special forces for battery
but weren't successful.
A conciliatory commission was called upon to resolve the conflict of President vs. Parliament about the referendum, which was eventually decided in the President's favor.
The voter turnout was 4,823,482 citizens or 64.8% of the total electorate (7,445,820). All four proposals were announced as passed. Of three questions, the one relating to national symbols turned out to be the most controversial.
According to many opposition experts, the 1995 referendum was illegal and thus its results have no legal power:
OSCE Parliamentary Assembly stated that the referendum in Belarus has violated international standards of elections. The organization noted governmental control over the media, the government's interference into the voting process, obstacles to the opposition's activities etc. US Department of State also criticized the Belarusian government for this referendum. The Russian State Duma
issued a statement supporting the official results of the referendum that promoted the status of Russian language
in Belarus.
to vote on four issues suggested by President
Lukashenko and three suggested by the Supreme Council
of Belarus
. 6,181,463 citizens took part in the referendum, or 84.14% of the total electorate of 7,346,397.
President's questions
Supreme Council's questions
The Belarusian democratic opposition, human rights organizations and several foreign observers have recorded numerous violations of the legislation regarding organization of the referendum, both during the voting itself and during the campaign before it. The referendum was accompanied by a constitutional crisis, a conflict between president Alexander Lukashenka and the oppositional parliament. There have been mass street protests by the opposition protesting against the referendum and against human rights violations.
The opposition also spoke of rigging of the referendum, and never recognized the results, as well as the results of the previous referendum held in 1995.
Alena Skryhan, the deputy head of Communist fraction of the Parliament in 1996 said that the referendum had led to monopolization of all branches of power by president Lukashenka.
).
ian presidential elections were held on September 9, 2001 with three candidates competing. The incumbent president, Alexander Lukashenko
, was one of the candidates running for office. The two candidates that sought to unseat Lukashenko were Vladimir Goncharik and Sergei Gaidukevich
.
According to the official data, Alexander Lukashenko has won in the first balloting with 75,65% of votes (less than in 1994 when he wasn't in power) against 15,65% of Goncharik. Turnout — 83,86%.
that either support or oppose President Lukashenko, the majority of the seats in the National Assembly are filled by those not affiliated with any political parties ("non-partisans"). However, there are three political parties who hold seats in the House of Representatives: the Communist Party of Belarus
(8 seats), the Agrarian Party of Belarus
(3 seats), and the Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus
(1 seat). The other two parties that pledged their support to Lukashenko, the Belarusian Socialist Sporting Party
and the Republican Party of Labour and Justice, did not secure any seats in October 2004 election. Opposition parties, such as the Belarusian People's Front
and the United Civil Party of Belarus
did not gain any seats. The UCPB and the BPF are some of the parties that comprise the People's Coalition 5 Plus
, a group of political parties who oppose Lukashenko. Several organizations, including as the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe(OSCE), declared the election un-free due to opposition parties negative results and the bias of the Belarusian media in favor of the government. However, in constitutional as well as political terms, the House is of marginal importance. At the 2000 election, it took four rounds of voting before all the seats were filled; in the end, 86% of the elected deputies were independents, and the remainder were the representatives of parties traditionally loyal to the president (OSCE, 2000).
The 13–17 October 2004 elections, according to the OSCE
/ODIHR Election Observation Mission, fell significantly short of OSCE commitments. Universal principles and constitutionally guaranteed rights of expression, association and assembly were seriously challenged, calling into question the Belarusian authorities’ willingness to respect the concept of political competition on a basis of equal treatment. According to this mission principles of an inclusive democratic process, whereby citizens have the right to seek political office without discrimination, candidates to present their views without obstruction, and voters to learn about them and discuss them freely, were largely ignored. A Council of Europe
report describes the danger that politicians risk of being assassinated, summarising an investigation into allegations that the present head of the Belarus
ian Special Rapid Reaction Unit (SOBR
), Dmitri Pavlichenko
, assassinated two senior politicians, a businessman and a journalist in 1999.
of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko
in his decree #431 on September 7, 2004. The referendum was about the following question:
6,307,395 citizens took part in the referendum, or 90.28% of the total electorate of 6,986,163. 79.42% voted for, 9.90% voted against, the rest of ballots were declared invalid.
The referendum is considered to having been held in violation of Belarusian Electoral Code, as its Paragraph 112 lists "questions connected with election and dismissal of the President of the Republic of Belarus" among questions prohibited from being brought out to the Republican referendum.
took place on March 19, 2006, and this election also included selecting the President. Lukashenko was opposed in the election by Alaksandar Milinkievič
, a candidate representing a coalition of oppositional parties. Another opposition candidate, Alaksandar Kazulin
of the Social Democrats was detained and beaten by police during protests surrounding the Lukashenko sponsored event, the All Belarusian People's Assembly
. This event, among others, have caused for concern that the 2006 elections had irregularities. The President won a landslide victory, over 80% of the vote. It was however deemed unfair by the OSCE.
ian House of Representatives election results
|-
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=left|Parties
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|Seats
|-
|align=left|Communist Party of Belarus
(Kamunistyčnaja partyja Biełarusi)
|align="right" |6
|-
|align=left|Agrarian Party of Belarus
(Ahrarnaja partyja Bełarusi)
|align="right" |1
|-
|align=left|Non-partisans (worker's collectives, public associations and civil society organizations)
|align="right" |103
|-
|align=left style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|Total
|width="30" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|110
|-
|align=left colspan=4|Source: rec.gov.by
|}
The 2008 Belarusian parliamentary election was held in Belarus
on 28 September 2008. The 110 seats in the House of Representatives were at stake.
According to the OSCE, the elections were undemocratic and the work of international observers was seriously hindered as the observers were refused access to the facilities where the votes were counted. But according to a CIS election observation mission, the elections in Belarus conformed to international standards.
According to the official results the oppositional parties failed to gain any of the 110 available seats, all of which were given to parties and non-partisan candidates loyal to president Alexander Lukashenko
. The Central Election Commission declared this to be due to the overwhelming popular fear of mass demonstrations and of the "radical political changes" demanded by the opposition. This declaration was met with immediate anti-governmental demonstrations in the centre of Minsk
protesting against electoral fraud
. President Lukashenko commented that the opposition in Belarus is financed by foreign countries and is not needed.
on 19 December 2010. The election was originally planned for the beginning of 2011. However, the final date was set during an extraordinary session of the Belarusian National Assembly on September 14, 2010.
Of the ten candidates, incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko
was declared the winner by the Central Electoral Commission with 79.67% of the votes, though opposition supporters decried the election. The Central Electoral Commission issued results for the election:
The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) called the election "flawed", saying it fell well short of democratic standards.
The Commonwealth of Independent States
(CIS) recognised the election as legitimate.
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
- the president
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
- and a legislature
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
. The president is elected for a five year term by the people. The National Assembly (Нацыянальны сход, Nacyyanal'ny skhod) has two chambers
Bicameralism
In the government, bicameralism is the practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers. Thus, a bicameral parliament or bicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of two chambers or houses....
. The House of Representatives (Палата прадстаўнікоў, Palata Pradstawnikow) has 110 members elected in single-seat constituencies elected for a four year term. The Council of the Republic
Council of the Republic of Belarus
The Council of the Republic is the upper house in Belarus' bicameral parliament, the National Assembly. The Council comprises 64 members and the representation is based geographically, most of the elected members come from civil society organizations, labour collectives and public associations in...
(Савет рэспублікі, Saviet Respubliki) has 64 members, 56 members indirectly elected and 8 members appointed by the president
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
.
Belarus is a state in which the president dominates. Opposition parties
Political Parties
Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy is a book by sociologist Robert Michels, published in 1911 , and first introducing the concept of iron law of oligarchy...
are allowed, but are widely considered to have no real chance of gaining power.
1994 Presidential Elections
In 1994, the first ever elections for the office of President of BelarusPresident of Belarus
The office of President of Belarus is the head of state of Belarus. The office was created in 1994 with the passing of the Constitution of Belarus by the Supreme Soviet. This replaced the office of Chairman of the Supreme Soviet as the head of state...
took place. Before the adoption of the state constitution, Belarus had a prime minister ever since they broke away from the Soviet Union. At the time, Vyachaslaw Kyebich was the prime minister. At the end of the first balloting in June 1994, Kyebich was slated to face the other candidate, Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko has been serving as the President of Belarus since 20 July 1994. Before his career as a politician, Lukashenko worked as director of a state-owned agricultural farm. Under Lukashenko's rule, Belarus has come to be viewed as a state whose conduct is out of line...
.
Presidential elections - first round:
| Candidate | % |
|---|---|
| Alexander Lukashenko Alexander Lukashenko Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko has been serving as the President of Belarus since 20 July 1994. Before his career as a politician, Lukashenko worked as director of a state-owned agricultural farm. Under Lukashenko's rule, Belarus has come to be viewed as a state whose conduct is out of line... |
44,8 % |
| Vyachaslau Kebich Vyachaslau Kebich Vyachaslau Frantsavich Kebich is a political figure from Belarus. He was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus, serving from 1991 until 1994, having held the equivalent office of the Byelorussian SSR since 1990. Kebich was also one of two candidates in the final running for President... |
17,3 % |
| Zenon Paznyak | 12,9 % |
| Stanislau Shushkevich | 9,9 % |
| Alaksandar Dubko Alaksandar Dubko Alaksandar Dubko was the former chairman of the Hrodna Regional Executive Committee. In 1994, he was a candidate for President of Belarus. He also served in the Belarus SSR Supreme Soviet and the USSR Supreme Soviet... |
6,0 % |
| Vasil Novikau | 4,6 % |
Presidential elections - second round:
| Candidate | % |
|---|---|
| Alexander Lukashenko Alexander Lukashenko Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko has been serving as the President of Belarus since 20 July 1994. Before his career as a politician, Lukashenko worked as director of a state-owned agricultural farm. Under Lukashenko's rule, Belarus has come to be viewed as a state whose conduct is out of line... |
80,1 % |
| Vyachaslau Kebich Vyachaslau Kebich Vyachaslau Frantsavich Kebich is a political figure from Belarus. He was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus, serving from 1991 until 1994, having held the equivalent office of the Byelorussian SSR since 1990. Kebich was also one of two candidates in the final running for President... |
19,9 % |
1995 Parliamentary Elections
On 11 April 1995, Parliament rejected three of the four issues to be put to national referendum on the same day as general elections, and President of the Republic Aleksandr Lukashenka – in office since July 1994 and a firm advocate of the issues – threatened its dissolution. The proposed referenda concerned closer ties with the Russian Federation and the President’s power to dissolve the legislature.Due especially to the multitude of candidates and the high thresholds required for election, only 18 Deputies were outright victors in the first round of voting and only 101 more (of 432 remaining candidates) in the second on 28 May. The resulting total of 119 fell short of the two-thirds (174) legal quorum which would have allowed the new legislature to sit. Polling for the remaining 141 seats accordingly took place on 29 November, when 865 candidates were in the running. Only 20 Deputies were then returned. On 10 December, runoffs between the two leading candidates were held in the other 121 constituencies; 59 more seats were then filled so that, with an overall total of 198 Deputies definitely chosen, the quorum was finally reached. Due to shortages in the applicable electoral majorities, 62 seats still remained vacant.
1995 Referendum
The May 14, 1995 Belarus Referendum required the population of BelarusBelarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
to vote on four issues:
- The state status of the Russian languageRussian languageRussian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
- Economic integration with Russia
- The introduction of new national symbolsNational symbolsA national symbol is a symbol of any entity considering itself and manifesting itself to the world as a national community – namely sovereign states, but also nations and countries in a state of colonial or other dependence, federal integration, or even an ethnocultural community considered a...
- The PresidentPresidentA president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
's right to dismiss the Parliament, if the latter violates the ConstitutionConstitutionA constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
The date of the referendum coincided with the date of the elections to the Parliament. On April 11, 1995, the Parliament considered the questions for the referendum, approved the date, but approved only the question regarding economic integration with Russia.
Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko has been serving as the President of Belarus since 20 July 1994. Before his career as a politician, Lukashenko worked as director of a state-owned agricultural farm. Under Lukashenko's rule, Belarus has come to be viewed as a state whose conduct is out of line...
declared that he would not change his decision and left the Parliament. 19 members of the Parliament from the Belarusian Popular Front decided to carry out a hunger strike
Hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
within the Parliament building, protesting against the president organizing the referendum despite the parliament's decision. They were beaten and forcibly removed by OMON
OMON
OMOH is a generic name for the system of special units of militsiya within the Russian and earlier the Soviet MVD...
. The parliamentarians sued the special forces for battery
Battery (crime)
Battery is a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact, distinct from assault which is the fear of such contact.In the United States, criminal battery, or simply battery, is the use of force against another, resulting in harmful or offensive contact...
but weren't successful.
A conciliatory commission was called upon to resolve the conflict of President vs. Parliament about the referendum, which was eventually decided in the President's favor.
The voter turnout was 4,823,482 citizens or 64.8% of the total electorate (7,445,820). All four proposals were announced as passed. Of three questions, the one relating to national symbols turned out to be the most controversial.
According to many opposition experts, the 1995 referendum was illegal and thus its results have no legal power:
OSCE Parliamentary Assembly stated that the referendum in Belarus has violated international standards of elections. The organization noted governmental control over the media, the government's interference into the voting process, obstacles to the opposition's activities etc. US Department of State also criticized the Belarusian government for this referendum. The Russian State Duma
State Duma
The State Duma , common abbreviation: Госду́ма ) in the Russian Federation is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia , the upper house being the Federation Council of Russia. The Duma headquarters is located in central Moscow, a few steps from Manege Square. Its members are referred to...
issued a statement supporting the official results of the referendum that promoted the status of Russian language
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
in Belarus.
1996 Referendum
The 24 November 1996 Belarusian Referendum required the population of BelarusBelarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
to vote on four issues suggested by President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
Lukashenko and three suggested by the Supreme Council
Supreme Council
Supreme Council may refer to:In culture:* Supreme Council of Antiquities, part of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture* Supreme Council of Ethnikoi Hellenes, an umbrella organisation in Greece established in 1997In Freemasonry:...
of Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
. 6,181,463 citizens took part in the referendum, or 84.14% of the total electorate of 7,346,397.
President's questions
- To move the Independence DayIndependence DayAn Independence Day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's assumption of independent statehood, usually after ceasing to be a colony or part of another nation or state, and more rarely after the end of a military occupation...
of the Republic of Belarus (Republic Day) to July 3, the day of the liberation of Belarus from Nazi occupants during the Second World WarEastern Front (World War II)The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
.- 88.18% voted for, 10.46% voted against.
- To adopt the 1994 Constitution of the Republic of Belarus with amendments and additions (new revision of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus ) suggested by President of the Republic of Belarus A.G. Lukashenko.
- 70.45% voted for, 9.39 voted against.
- Do you favor the free, without any limitations, selling and buying of land?
- 15.35% voted for, 82.88% voted against
- Do you approve the abolition of the death sentenceDeath SentenceDeath Sentence is a short story by the American science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the November 1943 issue of Astounding Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1972 collection The Early Asimov.-Plot summary:...
in the Republic of Belarus?- 17.93% voted for, 82.88 voted against.
Supreme Council's questions
- To adopt the 1994 Constitution of the Republic of Belarus with amendments and additions suggested by the Communist and Agrarian fractions of the Supreme Soviet.
- 7.93 voted for, 71.2% voted against
- Do you favor the suggestion that the leaders of the local organs of the executive powerExecutive PowerExecutive Power is Vince Flynn's fifth novel, and the fourth to feature Mitch Rapp, an American agent that works for the CIA as an operative for a covert counter terrorism unit called the "Orion Team."-Plot summary:...
to be elected directly by the residents of the corresponding administrative-territorial unit?- 28.14 voted for, 69.92 voted against
- Do you agree that financing of all branches of state power has to be carried out in an open and transparent way and only from the state budgetBudgetA budget is a financial plan and a list of all planned expenses and revenues. It is a plan for saving, borrowing and spending. A budget is an important concept in microeconomics, which uses a budget line to illustrate the trade-offs between two or more goods...
?- 32.18% voted for, 65.85% voted against.
The Belarusian democratic opposition, human rights organizations and several foreign observers have recorded numerous violations of the legislation regarding organization of the referendum, both during the voting itself and during the campaign before it. The referendum was accompanied by a constitutional crisis, a conflict between president Alexander Lukashenka and the oppositional parliament. There have been mass street protests by the opposition protesting against the referendum and against human rights violations.
The opposition also spoke of rigging of the referendum, and never recognized the results, as well as the results of the previous referendum held in 1995.
Alena Skryhan, the deputy head of Communist fraction of the Parliament in 1996 said that the referendum had led to monopolization of all branches of power by president Lukashenka.
2000 Parliamentary Elections
In October 2000, parliamentary elections occurred for the first time since the referendum of 1996. According to OSCE/ODIHR, these elections failed to meet international standards for democratic elections. Lukashenko announced early in 2001 that presidential elections would be held. Western monitors made charges of nondemocratic practices throughout the election period, including charges vote counting fraud. These charges of irregularities led the OSCE/ODIHR to find that these elections also failed to meet Belarus' OSCE commitments for democratic elections. Although it was considered to be "puppet" parliament of Lukashenko, eventually there appeared dissenting voices, notably the parliamentary group "Respublika" (Valery Fralou, Uladzimir Parfianovich, Siarhiej Skrabiec, Vladimir NovosiadVladimir Novosiad
Vladimir Novosiad is a Belarusian politician of liberal orientation, the leader of Belarusian Liberal Party of Freedom and Progress. He was born on April 12, 1968 in Kiev . Variants of his name include the following: Vladimir Novosyad, Uladzimir Navasiad, Uladzimir Navasyad,...
).
2001 Presidential Elections
The '2001 BelarusBelarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
ian presidential elections were held on September 9, 2001 with three candidates competing. The incumbent president, Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko has been serving as the President of Belarus since 20 July 1994. Before his career as a politician, Lukashenko worked as director of a state-owned agricultural farm. Under Lukashenko's rule, Belarus has come to be viewed as a state whose conduct is out of line...
, was one of the candidates running for office. The two candidates that sought to unseat Lukashenko were Vladimir Goncharik and Sergei Gaidukevich
Sergei Gaidukevich
Sergei Gaidukevich was the Liberal Democratic Party candidate in the 2006 elections for the office of President of Belarus, as well as in 2001 elections....
.
According to the official data, Alexander Lukashenko has won in the first balloting with 75,65% of votes (less than in 1994 when he wasn't in power) against 15,65% of Goncharik. Turnout — 83,86%.
2004 Parliamentary Elections
In Belarus, while there are political partiesPolitical party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
that either support or oppose President Lukashenko, the majority of the seats in the National Assembly are filled by those not affiliated with any political parties ("non-partisans"). However, there are three political parties who hold seats in the House of Representatives: the Communist Party of Belarus
Communist Party of Belarus
The Communist Party of Belarus is a political party in Belarus, that supports the government of president Alexander Lukashenko. It was created in 1996. The leader of the party is Tatsyana Holubeva....
(8 seats), the Agrarian Party of Belarus
Agrarian Party of Belarus
The Agrarian Party is an agrarian and communist political party in Belarus that supports the government of president Alexander Lukashenko.It was created in 1992. Leader of the party is Mikhail Shimansky. The Agrarian Party obtained 3 seats during the 13 and 17 October 2004 Belarus House of...
(3 seats), and the Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus
Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus
The Liberal Democratic Party is a political party in Belarus. It was created in 1994. In the last legislative elections, 13-17 October 2004, the party won 1 out of 110 seats. The party adheres to an ideology similar to that of Liberal Democratic Party of Russia and advocates unification of Russia...
(1 seat). The other two parties that pledged their support to Lukashenko, the Belarusian Socialist Sporting Party
Belarusian Socialist Sporting Party
The Belarusian Socialist Sporting Party is a political party in Belarus, that supports the government of president Alexander Lukashenko.It was created in 1994. Leader of the party is Vladimir Alexandrovich....
and the Republican Party of Labour and Justice, did not secure any seats in October 2004 election. Opposition parties, such as the Belarusian People's Front
Belarusian People's Front
The BPF Party is a political party in Belarus. It was founded as the social movement Belarusian Popular Front "Revival" or BPF during the perestroika times by members of the Belarusian intelligentsia,...
and the United Civil Party of Belarus
United Civil Party of Belarus
The United Civil Party of Belarus is a centre-right, liberal-conservative party in Belarus. The party opposes the government of Alexander Lukashenko, generally participates in the country's elections, but doesn't have a single member in parliament...
did not gain any seats. The UCPB and the BPF are some of the parties that comprise the People's Coalition 5 Plus
People's Coalition 5 Plus
The People's Coalition 5 Plus was a political alliance in Belarus, that opposed the regime of president Alexander Lukashenko.At the last legislative elections, 13–17 October 2004, the alliance won no seats....
, a group of political parties who oppose Lukashenko. Several organizations, including as the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe(OSCE), declared the election un-free due to opposition parties negative results and the bias of the Belarusian media in favor of the government. However, in constitutional as well as political terms, the House is of marginal importance. At the 2000 election, it took four rounds of voting before all the seats were filled; in the end, 86% of the elected deputies were independents, and the remainder were the representatives of parties traditionally loyal to the president (OSCE, 2000).
The 13–17 October 2004 elections, according to the OSCE
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is the world's largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, human rights, freedom of the press and fair elections...
/ODIHR Election Observation Mission, fell significantly short of OSCE commitments. Universal principles and constitutionally guaranteed rights of expression, association and assembly were seriously challenged, calling into question the Belarusian authorities’ willingness to respect the concept of political competition on a basis of equal treatment. According to this mission principles of an inclusive democratic process, whereby citizens have the right to seek political office without discrimination, candidates to present their views without obstruction, and voters to learn about them and discuss them freely, were largely ignored. A Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
report describes the danger that politicians risk of being assassinated, summarising an investigation into allegations that the present head of the Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
ian Special Rapid Reaction Unit (SOBR
SOBR
The Special Rapid Response Unit or SOBR is an elite commando unit of the Russian Interior Ministry, involved in anti-criminal operations....
), Dmitri Pavlichenko
Dmitri Pavlichenko
Dmitri Valeriyevich Pavlichenko , born 1966 in Vitebsk, is head of the Belarusian Special Rapid Reaction Unit .-Allegations of assassinations:...
, assassinated two senior politicians, a businessman and a journalist in 1999.
2004 Referendum
The October 17, 2004 Belarus Referendum was declared by PresidentPresident
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko has been serving as the President of Belarus since 20 July 1994. Before his career as a politician, Lukashenko worked as director of a state-owned agricultural farm. Under Lukashenko's rule, Belarus has come to be viewed as a state whose conduct is out of line...
in his decree #431 on September 7, 2004. The referendum was about the following question:
- Do you permit the first President of the Republic of Belarus Lukashenko A.G. to participate as a candidate for Presidency of the Republic of Belarus during the President elections and do you adopt the Part I of Article 81 of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus in the following wording:
- "President is elected for the term of 5 years directly by the people of the Republic of Belarus by means of the universal, free, equal and direct suffrage under the voting by secret ballot"?
6,307,395 citizens took part in the referendum, or 90.28% of the total electorate of 6,986,163. 79.42% voted for, 9.90% voted against, the rest of ballots were declared invalid.
The referendum is considered to having been held in violation of Belarusian Electoral Code, as its Paragraph 112 lists "questions connected with election and dismissal of the President of the Republic of Belarus" among questions prohibited from being brought out to the Republican referendum.
2006 Presidential Election
The next round of electionsBelarusian presidential election, 2006
Presidential elections were held in Belarus on 19 March 2006. The result was a victory for incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko, who received 84.4% of the vote. However, western observers deemed the elections rigged...
took place on March 19, 2006, and this election also included selecting the President. Lukashenko was opposed in the election by Alaksandar Milinkievič
Alaksandar Milinkievic
Aliaksandr Uładzimiravič Milinkevič is a Belarusian politician. He was nominated by the leading opposition parties in Belarus to run against incumbent Alexander Lukashenko in the presidential election on 19 March 2006.-Biography:...
, a candidate representing a coalition of oppositional parties. Another opposition candidate, Alaksandar Kazulin
Alaksandar Kazulin
Alaksandr Kazulin , is the former leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party and one of the candidates who ran for the office of President of Belarus on March 19, 2006....
of the Social Democrats was detained and beaten by police during protests surrounding the Lukashenko sponsored event, the All Belarusian People's Assembly
All Belarusian People's Assembly
The All Belarusian People's Assembly is a general meeting of the Belarusian Government with industry leaders and other top officials from every sector of the government. The citizens of Belarus are also permitted to take part of the discussion...
. This event, among others, have caused for concern that the 2006 elections had irregularities. The President won a landslide victory, over 80% of the vote. It was however deemed unfair by the OSCE.
2008 Parliamentary Election
Summary of the 28 September 2008 BelarusBelarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
ian House of Representatives election results
|-
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=left|Parties
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|Seats
|-
|align=left|Communist Party of Belarus
Communist Party of Belarus
The Communist Party of Belarus is a political party in Belarus, that supports the government of president Alexander Lukashenko. It was created in 1996. The leader of the party is Tatsyana Holubeva....
(Kamunistyčnaja partyja Biełarusi)
|align="right" |6
|-
|align=left|Agrarian Party of Belarus
Agrarian Party of Belarus
The Agrarian Party is an agrarian and communist political party in Belarus that supports the government of president Alexander Lukashenko.It was created in 1992. Leader of the party is Mikhail Shimansky. The Agrarian Party obtained 3 seats during the 13 and 17 October 2004 Belarus House of...
(Ahrarnaja partyja Bełarusi)
|align="right" |1
|-
|align=left|Non-partisans (worker's collectives, public associations and civil society organizations)
|align="right" |103
|-
|align=left style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|Total
|width="30" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|110
|-
|align=left colspan=4|Source: rec.gov.by
|}
The 2008 Belarusian parliamentary election was held in Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
on 28 September 2008. The 110 seats in the House of Representatives were at stake.
According to the OSCE, the elections were undemocratic and the work of international observers was seriously hindered as the observers were refused access to the facilities where the votes were counted. But according to a CIS election observation mission, the elections in Belarus conformed to international standards.
According to the official results the oppositional parties failed to gain any of the 110 available seats, all of which were given to parties and non-partisan candidates loyal to president Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko has been serving as the President of Belarus since 20 July 1994. Before his career as a politician, Lukashenko worked as director of a state-owned agricultural farm. Under Lukashenko's rule, Belarus has come to be viewed as a state whose conduct is out of line...
. The Central Election Commission declared this to be due to the overwhelming popular fear of mass demonstrations and of the "radical political changes" demanded by the opposition. This declaration was met with immediate anti-governmental demonstrations in the centre of Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
protesting against electoral fraud
Electoral fraud
Electoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an election. Acts of fraud affect vote counts to bring about an election result, whether by increasing the vote share of the favored candidate, depressing the vote share of the rival candidates or both...
. President Lukashenko commented that the opposition in Belarus is financed by foreign countries and is not needed.
2010 Presidential Election
A presidential election was held in BelarusBelarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
on 19 December 2010. The election was originally planned for the beginning of 2011. However, the final date was set during an extraordinary session of the Belarusian National Assembly on September 14, 2010.
Of the ten candidates, incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko has been serving as the President of Belarus since 20 July 1994. Before his career as a politician, Lukashenko worked as director of a state-owned agricultural farm. Under Lukashenko's rule, Belarus has come to be viewed as a state whose conduct is out of line...
was declared the winner by the Central Electoral Commission with 79.67% of the votes, though opposition supporters decried the election. The Central Electoral Commission issued results for the election:
| Place | Candidate | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | ||
| 1 | Alexander Lukashenko Alexander Lukashenko Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko has been serving as the President of Belarus since 20 July 1994. Before his career as a politician, Lukashenko worked as director of a state-owned agricultural farm. Under Lukashenko's rule, Belarus has come to be viewed as a state whose conduct is out of line... |
5,130,557 | 79.65 % |
| 2 | Andrei Sannikaŭ Andrei Sannikov Andrei Olegovich Sannikov is a Belarusian politician and activist. In the early 1990s, he headed the Belarusian delegation on Nuclear and Conventional Weapons Armament Negotiations, also serving as the Belarusian diplomat to Switzerland. From 1995 to 1996, he served as Deputy Foreign Minister of... |
156,419 | 2.43 % |
| 3 | Jaraslaŭ Ramanchuk Jaroslav Romanchuk Jaroslav Cheslavovich Romanchuk is a Belarusian libertarian economist and politician.He currently works as President of the Scientific Research Mises Center and is Deputy Chairman of the United Civil Party of Belarus.... |
127,281 | 1.98 % |
| 4 | Gregory Kostusev | 126,999 | 1.97 % |
| 5 | Uladzimir Niakliajeŭ Uladzimir Niaklajeu Vladimir Niaklajeu ' born on July 11, 1946 in Smarhon) is a Belarusian poet and writer, and a head of the public campaign Tell the Truth!... |
114,581 | 1.78 % |
| 6 | Vital Rymasheŭski Vital Rymasheuski Vital Rymasheuski is a Belarusian politician and one of the presidential candidates at the 2010 presidential elections in Belarus.Rymasheuski graduated from the Belarusian National Technical University... |
70,515 | 1.09 % |
| 7 | Viktor Tereshchenko | 76,764 | 1.19 % |
| 8 | Mikalai Statkievich Mikola Statkevich Mikola Statkevich is a Belarusian politician and presidential candidate at the 2010 election.Mikola Statkevich was born in the Slutsk raion into a family of school teachers... |
67,583 | 1.05 % |
| 9 | Ales Michalevich Ales Michalevic Ales Anatoljevich Michalevic is a Belarusian public figure and politician, 2010 presidential candidate in the Republic of Belarus.-Biography:... |
65,748 | 1.02 % |
| 10 | Dmitry Uss | 25,117 | 0.39 % |
| Against all | 416,925 | 6.47 % | |
| Invalid votes | 62,542 | 0.97 % | |
| Voter turnout | 6,441,031 | 90.65 % | |
The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) called the election "flawed", saying it fell well short of democratic standards.
The Commonwealth of Independent States
Commonwealth of Independent States
The Commonwealth of Independent States is a regional organization whose participating countries are former Soviet Republics, formed during the breakup of the Soviet Union....
(CIS) recognised the election as legitimate.
External links
- Central Election Commission of the Republic of Belarus
- Parties and Elections in Europe
- Belarusian Parliamentary Elections in the Internet, 2004
- Information gathered ahead of the 2006 presidential election in Belarus
- Presidential Elections in Belarus 2006, Belapan Daily News
- ePolitics 2006: Online Campaigning in 2006 Presidential Election in Belarus
- review of the presidential elections in Belarus, Political Sphere, № 7 2006 "Rethinking Elections", summaries in English, articles in Belarusian
- Parliamentary Election in Belarus 2008 on Google Maps