Deutsche Welle: Belarusian dictator prepares another election performance

Officials have nothing to count on: the West is well aware of their actions to hold the power of Lukashenka.

The Belarusian authorities are zealously demonstrating that the presidential campaign is being held without violations. But the administrative leverage is used to leave Alyaksandr Lukashenka in power, Deutsche Welle reports.

Autumn thaw of 2010

Belarus has obvious signs of political liberalization, which necessity was so long talked about by the Belarusian opposition. In accordance with the law, the Central Election Commission registered initiative groups of all wanting to run in the presidential election.

Collecting signatures to nominate oppositionists as candidates held in streets under national white-red-white flags is regarded as display of freedom. The militia doesn’t react to the “unregistered symbols”, though recently one could stand trial for this.

Double walls

In spite of a rather quiet course of the campaign, there’s an impression that liberal freedoms can be stopped by the authorities at any moment. Maybe that’s because information about ordering special ballot boxes with double walls is circulating in the country. Or that’s because the results of the election are so evident for the Belarusian ruler that he even took offence at Russia in advance for a possibility of nom-recognition of his another victory.

Double walls can be seen in the Belarusian policy too. The policy for export has democratic wrap, but the opposition inside the country meet a totally different attitude – even the head of state openly calls them ‘enemies of the people’.

This means that the length of the leash allowing the opposition to walk in the political field is restricted.

Performance with elements of liberalization

The Central Election Commission of Belarus says there are no violations of the law in the course of the election campaign. The CEC seems as if it doesn’t notice that state-run newspapers mention only one presidential aspirant, the sitting head of state, in violation of the ban on early agitation.

More than 150 offices of the so called non-government organization Belaya Rus (White Rus) continue collecting the second million of signatures for the president at workplaces not disdaining to intimidate people. But opposition activists are still not allowed to enterprises or universities with signature sheets and pressure on independent media is only growing.

It’s interesting what a reaction of the European Union the officials expect to see. The EU and Russia do not interfere with the presidential election in Belarus, but control the situation and actions of the officials to keep Lukashenka’s power are well familiar to them.

Answers to two questions, how many oppositionists will be included in more than 6,000 election commissions and will observers be able to control the vote count process will indicate the sincerity of the words of the Belarusian authorities about the open and fair election.

Then, it will become clear if the changes in Belarus are serious or it is just a performance with elements of liberalization, another gesture of respect Minsk shows to the European Union amid the cooled relations with Moscow.