BELARUS….

Another member of the Belarusan opposition has left the country. Semyon Sharetsky, head of the parliament elected under the 1994 constitution, has taken up residence in Lithuania. Zyanon Paznyak, leader of the banned Popular Front, has political-refugee status in the United States, though he spends most of his time in Poland. Another opposition figure, parliamentarian Yuri Zakharenka, disappeared in Belarus in April and has not been heard from since. The Lithuanian foreign office welcomed Sharetsky, giving him a security escort and a car. Lithuanian officials say Belarus is entering a period of dual authority: Sharetsky’s parliament has international recognition, but Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s presidency, though it came to the end of its legal term on July 20, retains control and must be taken into account.