This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses.

The elections for the position of president of Belarus took place on March 19, 2006. The winner of the elections holds the office until the next round of scheduled elections, which are determined by the country's House of Representatives. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... To suggest a relevant news story for the main page, refer to the criteria then add your suggestion at the candidates page. ... President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, universities, and countries. ... March 19 is the 78th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (79th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Under the 1996 Constitution, the House of Representatives (Palata Predstavitelei) is the lower house of the parliament of Belarus. ...

Western observers have deemed the elections rigged. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) declared that the election "failed to meet OSCE commitments for democratic elections." However, election observers from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) described the vote as open and transparent. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is an international organization for security. ... Flag of the CIS The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (in Russian: Содружество Независимых Государств (СНГ) - Sodruzhestvo Nezavisimykh Gosudarstv) is a confederation, or alliance, consisting of 11 former Soviet Republics: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. ...

Candidates

On February 17, 2006, the Central Election Commission approved the following list of candidates: February 17 is the 48th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• Alexander Lukashenko: incumbent, in office since 1994, not associated with any party.
• Alexander Milinkievič: challenger, candidate from an opposition union, United Democratic Forces of Belarus.
• Sergei Gaidukevich: Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus.
• Alaksandar Kazulin: Belarusian Social Democratic Party.

Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (Lukashenka) (Belarusian: Алякса́ндар Рыго́равіч Лукашэ́нка, Russian: ) (born August 30, 1954) has been the President of Belarus since 1994. ... // In politics The incumbent, in politics, is the current holder of a political office. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... Alaksandar Milinkievič (also Alexander Milinkevich; Аляксандар Мілінкевіч in Belarusian, born 25 July 1947) is a Belarusian politician. ... The United Democratic Forces of Belarus is a coalition of political parties participating as the main opposition group during the 2006 presidental election. ... Sergei Gaidukevich (in Belarusian: Siarhiej Hajdukievič though better known by the Russian name) is the Liberal Democrat (an offshot of a Russian party controlled by Vladimir Zhirinovsky) candidate in the 2006 elections for the office of President of Belarus. ... The Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus (Liberalna-Demokratychnaya Partya Belarusi) is a political party in Belarus, that supports the regime of president Alexander Lukashenko. ... Alaksandar Kazulin (Belarusian: ) is the leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party and one of the candidates running for the office of President of Belarus on March 19, 2006. ... The Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Assembly) (Biełaruskaja Sacyjal-Demakratyčnaja Partyja (Hramada)) is a political party in Belarus, that opposes the regime of president Alexander Lukashenko. ...

Former candidates

• Zianon Pazniak: withdrew on January 26
• Valery Frolov: withdrew on February 1 in favor of Kazulin
• Aleksandr Voitovich: withdrew on January 9
• Sergei Skrebets: withdrew in late January, supports Kazulin ^[1]

Zianon Pazniak Dr. Zianon Paźniak (Belarusian: Зянон Пазьняк, * April 24, 1944) is a famous Belarusian politician and public activist, one of the founders of the Belarusian Popular Front and leader of the Christian Conservative Party of the BPF. Biography Zianon Pazniak was born... January 26 is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... January 9 is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Preceding events

Both the European Parliament and United States Congress issued warnings that Belarus may expect more sanctions and similar punitive actions in the case of violation of human rights during the elections. The United States already has sanctions on Belarus due to past election issues, as stated in the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004, which also allows it to provide assistance to political parties and NGOs. ^[2] The CIS observer mission at the Belarusian presidential elections commented that "the negative statements made in the EU and the United States are attempts to create predetermined negative sentiments in the international community toward elections results in Belarus. Such actions towards a sovereign state hardly comply with standards of international law," according to the same election monitoring body. ^[3] The OSCE have also sent monitors to Belarus to observe the elections and to make sure the elections are free from any irregularities. The European Parliament is the parliamentary body of the European Union (EU), directly elected by EU citizens once every five years. ... Congress in Joint Session. ... Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ... Belarus Democracy Act of 2004, signed by President George W. Bush and passed unanimously by the U.S. Congress on October 4, 2004 authorizes assistance for Belarusian political parties, non-governmental organizations, and independent media working for democracy and human rights. ... Flag of the CIS The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (in Russian: Содружество Независимых Государств (СНГ) - Sodruzhestvo Nezavisimykh Gosudarstv) is a confederation, or alliance, consisting of 11 former Soviet Republics: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. ... The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is an international organization for security. ...

On March 1, 2006, opposition candidate Alaksandar Kazulin attempted to enter the third meeting of the All Belarusian People's Assembly, which was hosted by President Lukashenko. Security officers arrested and beat Kazulin, who was charged with disorderly conduct, and then held in custody for eight hours.^[4] March 1 is the 60th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (61st in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Alaksandar Kazulin (Belarusian: ) is the leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party and one of the candidates running for the office of President of Belarus on March 19, 2006. ... The All Belarusian Peoples Assembly (Belarusian: , Russian: ) is a general meeting of the Belarusian Goverment with industry leaders and other top officials from every sector of the government. ...

In the build-up to the elections, several Georgians who were part of the OSCE observer team were intercepted by the Belarusian Frontier Guard and placed under custody. Lukashenko also announced that protests similar to what occurred during the Orange, Rose and Tulip revolutions will not take place in Belarus and states that "force will not be used" to claim the presidency.^[5] Orange-clad supporters of Viktor Yushchenko gather in Independence Square in Kiev. ... Mikhail Saakashvili and his supporters marched on the parliament carrying roses as a symbol of nonviolence Rose Revolution refers to a peaceful 2003 revolution in the country of Georgia that displaced president Eduard Shevardnadze. ... a tulip, the symbol of the revolution The Tulip Revolution refers to the overthrow of President Askar Akayev and his government in the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan after the parliamentary elections of February 27 and of March 13, 2005. ...

Results

On March 19, 2006 exit polls showed Lukashenko winning a third term in a landslide, amid opposition claims of vote-rigging and fear of violence.^[6] The EcooM organization gave Lukashenko 84.2% of the vote and Milinkevich just 2 percent, while the Belarusian Committee of Youth Organizations gave Lukashenko 84.2% and Milinkevich 3.1 percent. March 19 is the 78th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (79th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Official results^[7]

• Alexander Lukashenko: 82.6%
• Alexander Milinkevich: 6.0%
• Sergei Gaidukevich: 3.5%
• Alexander Kozulin: 2.3%
• Turnout: 92.6%

Reaction

Belarusian authorities

Belarus authorities initially vowed to crush unrest in the event of large-scale protests following the election.^[8] Since then, however, they have decided to use more subtle methods of attrition to subdue protestors.^[9] Lukashenko declared victory and defeat of "The Jeans Revolution", promising not to jail Milinkevich and Kozulin.^[10] This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ...

On March 23, Constitution Court of Belarus^[11] rejected the Opposition's appeals. Lukashenko will be inaugurated on Monday. March 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (83rd in Leap years). ...

Belarussian police broke up^[12] days of protests in central Minsk against President Lukashenko's re-election, detaining about 200 demonstrators in an early hours swoop. The demonstrators had rejected police calls to leave the square, focus of the protests. They had erected tents and kept protesting round the clock despite sub-zero temperatures at night. One of the detained protesters called Reuters by mobile phone and said they were being taken to a pre-trial detention centre in the capital.

Belarusian opposition

March 21, 2006 opposition rally

After the results were announced, a mass rally assembled in October Square in Minsk, waving the banned white-red-white flag of independent Belarus, the flag of the European Union, as well as flags of other countries such as neighboring Poland and Ukraine Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 1231 KB) Summary Meeting of oposition after presidental election. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 1231 KB) Summary Meeting of oposition after presidental election. ... Minsk or Miensk (Belarusian: ; Russian: ; Polish: ) is the capital and a major city of Belarus with a population of 1. ... Current flag of Belarus (since 1995) The current national flag of Belarus was formally changed on June 7, 1995, following the result of a referendum voted on by the Belarusian people in the previous month. ... European flag The European flag consists of a circle of twelve golden stars on a blue background. ...

The crowd of demonstrators rallying after the election was the biggest the opposition had mustered in years, reaching at least 10,000.^[13]. The protest had been dwindling since Sunday. Each evening had seen a smaller and smaller gathering -- 5,000 on Monday, 3,000 to 4,000 on Tuesday. During the daytime, as of March 23, only a core of about 200 protestors remained concentrated around the opposition's tent camp erected on October Square in Minsk^[14]. The main opposition leaders had called for the protests to keep up until Saturday, when a major rally is expected, coinciding with the anniversary of the creation of first independent Belarussian republic in 1918.^[15]. Despite this, early Friday morning riot police were dispatched to the site of the protest and over 200 arrests were made, effectively dismantling the demonstration^[16]. The Saturday demonstration is still scheduled to take place, and EU ambassadors have announced that they will join in as observers. National motto: None Official language Belarusian Capital Minsk, Currently in Exile National anthem Vajacki marÅ¡ Chairperson of the Rada Ivonka Survilla Independence  - Declared  - Forced into Exile Treaty of Brest-Litovsk March 25, 1918 January 5, 1919 The Belarusian Peoples Republic (Belarusian: Белару́ская Наро́дная Рэспу́бліка, eng. ...

Czech journalist Jan Rybář who works for MF Dnes was brutally beaten and robbed while leaving the opposition demonstration. Both the journalist and Czech chargés d'affaires in Belarus believe it was probably an act of Belarusian secret police. "They yelled at me 'where are your documents?' and regular gangsters are not usually interested in documents but in money," commented Jan Rybář. The fact that the robbery took place in the city center which was surrounded by police is also very suspicious^[17][18]. MF DNES or Mladá fronta DNES (Youth Front TODAY) is the most influential Czech daily. ... Chargé daffaires (Fr. ... KGB of Belarus is a current secret police. ...

Belarusian human rights center, Vesna (Spring), said that 178 protesters had been detained when police broke up a rally in central Minsk.^[19] The center said six of those detained had been released, all of them minors, and 16 protesters had been already sentenced to administrative arrests from seven to 10 days. According to the center, one detainee was Canadian. The Russian Union of Right Forces said two Russians had been detained in Minsk. A statement from the liberal party said the detention was an "unfriendly and unlawful action by the Belarusian government" and demanded their immediate release. The Union of Right Forces, or SPS (Сою́з Пра́вых Сил, СПС/Soyuz Pravykh Sil), is a Russian political party commonly associated with free market reforms, privatization, and the legacy of the Young Reformers of the 1990s: Anatoly Chubais, Boris Nemtsov, and Yegor Gaidar. ...

Western countries

The official OSCE report released on March 20, 2006, concluded that the presidential election failed to meet OSCE commitments for democratic elections. The OSCE, of which Belarus is a member, stated that Lukashenko permitted State authority to be used in a manner which did not allow citizens to freely and fairly express their will at the ballot box, and a pattern of intimidation and the suppression of independent voices was evident^[20]. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is an international organization for security. ... March 20 is the 79th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (80th in Leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

On March 21, the United States of America stated that it believed that the election was rigged. In the words of White House spokesman Scott McClellan, "The United States does not accept the results of the election. We support the call for a new election." March 21 is the 80th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (81st in leap years). ...

Czech President Václav Klaus decided not to congratulate Lukashenko on re-election as president as "the course of the presidential elections on Sunday confirmed his fears for democracy in Belarus". Klaus previously criticized "very disputable circumstances of the parliamentary elections and the changes in the constitution that allowed Lukashenko to run for the post again after two election terms" in his open letter to Lukashenko last year. Czech Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda proposed inviting opposition leader Alyaksander Milinkevich to the EU summit. As his proposal did not succeed he initiated invitation of Milinkevich to the European People's Party meeting that will take place prior the EU summit.^[21] Václav Klaus (born 19 June 1941) is the second President of the Czech Republic and a former Prime Minister of the Czech Republic. ...

On March 23, American diplomats evacuated^[22] Vyacheslav Sivchik, one of the organizers of the opposition meeting, from Oktyabrskaya Square. March 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (83rd in Leap years). ...

On March 24, EU leaders agreed at a summit to impose sanctions on Belarus leaders, including a possible travel ban on Lukashenko,^[23] after his victory in a disputed presidential election on Sunday. Officials said Lukashenko had won more than 80% of the vote. A statement from the 25 leaders called the country "a sad exception ... on a continent of open and democratic societies" and said the election had violated democratic norms. "The European council has decided to take restrictive measures against those responsible for the violations of international electoral standards, including President Lukashenko," the Austrian foreign minister, Ursula Plassnik, said after the EU summit. She gave no details, but EU officials said measures being considered included visa bans on those accused of allegedly rigging the poll and possible asset freezes, but not economic sanctions against the former Soviet republic. March 24 is the 83rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (84th in Leap years). ... Ursula Plassnik Ursula Plassnik (born May 23, 1956 in Klagenfurt) is an Austrian diplomat and politician. ...

Lukashenko, who has been described as Europe's last dictator, will be banned from entering the 25 nations of the EU - including Ukraine's neighbours, Poland, Latvia and Lithuania - and from the US.^[24] EU countries were hesitating over whether to include Mr Lukashenko, giving him the same pariah status as Robert Mugabe, the President of Zimbabwe. Those doubts were swept aside after a crackdown on protesters in Minsk. EU diplomats are drawing up a list of Belarussian officials who will be targeted by "smart sanctions" and final decisions will be taken on 10 April.

Russia

Russia considers the election results acceptable; the Russian Foreign Ministry declared the election fair, and Russian president Vladimir Putin called Lukashenko to congratulate him on his victory^[25]. Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (Russian: Влади́мир Влади́мирович Пу́тин, (help· info), Vladímir Vladímirovich Pútin; born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician, and the current President of the Russian Federation. ...

Russian Foreign Ministry condemned OSCE bias on Belarus poll:

The biased verdict of the OSCE, Europe's main election monitoring organization, on the presidential election in Belarus highlights the need to improve the process of observing polls, an official spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. "We believe that the biased nature of the verdict of the monitoring mission has again confirmed the importance of beginning, at last, focused work to correct shortcomings in the election monitoring practice," Mikhail Kamynin said referring to a decision made by foreign ministers of the 55-nation security grouping in December last year^[26].

On March 24, Sergey Lavrov accused OSCE of instigating tensions during the parliamentary election campaign in Belarus: March 24 is the 83rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (84th in Leap years). ... Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov, in Russian Сергей Викторович Лавров, is the minister of foreign affairs of the Russian Federation. ...

"Long before the elections, the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights had declared that they (the elections) would be illegitimate and it was pretty biased in its commentaries on their progress and results, thus playing an instigating role."^[27]

It was the first official comment from Moscow after riot police stormed into a square occupied by protesters in the Belarusian capital, detaining some 200 and bringing to an end an unprecedented, around-the-clock rally against authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko. But it was far from the first Russian criticism of the trans-Atlantic group's vote monitoring activities.

References

January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article describes the Soviet/Russian newspaper. ... It has been designated the: International Year of Rice (by the United Nations) International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO) 2004 World Health Day topic was Road Safety (by World Health Organization) Year of the Monkey (by the Chinese calendar) See the world in... October 6 is the 279th day of the year (280th in Leap years). ... Interfax is a Russian non-governmental press agency based in Moscow. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 21 is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... The current BBC News logo BBC News and Current Affairs (sometimes abbreviated BBC NCA) is a major arm of the BBC responsible for the corporations newsgathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 2 is the 61st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (62nd in leap years). ... ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 17 is the 76th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (77th in Leap years). ... Interfax is a Russian non-governmental press agency based in Moscow. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 19 is the 78th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (79th in leap years). ... The current BBC News logo BBC News and Current Affairs (sometimes abbreviated BBC NCA) is a major arm of the BBC responsible for the corporations newsgathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 20 is the 79th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (80th in Leap years). ... The Deutsche Welle building in Bonn This article is about the German international broadcaster. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 19 is the 78th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (79th in leap years). ... Yahoo! headquarters in Sunnyvale Security checkpoint at entrance to headquarters parking lot. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (83rd in Leap years). ... Izvestia (the name in Russian means news and is short for Izvestiya Sovetov Narodnykh Deputatov SSSR, Известия Советов народных депутатов СССР, the Reports of Soviets of Peoples Deputies of the USSR) functioned as a long-running high-circulation daily newspaper in the Soviet Union. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 21 is the 80th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (81st in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 24 is the 83rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (84th in Leap years). ... Reuters Group plc LSE: RTR NASDAQ: RTRSY is best known as a news service that provides reports from around the world to newspapers and broadcasters. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 24 is the 83rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (84th in Leap years). ... The Cable News Network, usually referred to as CNN, is a cable television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner[1] [2]. It is a division of the Turner Broadcasting System, owned by Time Warner. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 19 is the 78th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (79th in leap years). ... ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (83rd in Leap years). ... The current BBC News logo BBC News and Current Affairs (sometimes abbreviated BBC NCA) is a major arm of the BBC responsible for the corporations newsgathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 21 is the 80th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (81st in leap years). ... ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (83rd in Leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 20 is the 79th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (80th in Leap years). ... This article describes the Soviet/Russian newspaper. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 21 is the 80th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (81st in leap years). ... It has been designated the: International Year of Rice (by the United Nations) International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO) 2004 World Health Day topic was Road Safety (by World Health Organization) Year of the Monkey (by the Chinese calendar) See the world in... March 24 is the 83rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (84th in Leap years). ... The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is an international organization for security. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 20 is the 79th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (80th in Leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (83rd in Leap years). ... Lenta. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 24 is the 83rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (84th in Leap years). ... The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 24 is the 83rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (84th in Leap years). ... For other uses, see The Independent (disambiguation). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 25 is the 84th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (85th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 20 is the 79th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (80th in Leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 21 is the 80th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (81st in leap years). ... The Kyiv Post is the English-language community newspaper for the ex-patriate population in Kyiv and Ukraine. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 24 is the 83rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (84th in Leap years). ...

Links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Belarusian presidential election, 2006

• Website of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Belarus
• ((Belarusian)) Coverage of the election
• Results from Belarusian State TV