Latest Articles about Belarus
BELARUS OPPOSITION CHOOSES ITS CANDIDATE
On October 2 about 1,000 delegates attending the Congress of Democratic Forces of Belarus, meeting at the Palace of Culture of the Minsk Automobile Factory, elected Alexander Milinkevich as the single candidate for the presidential elections of 2006. Milinkevich received 399 votes, defeating his closest... MORE
BELARUS AUTHORITIES MOVE TO SHUT DOWN MAIN OPPOSITION NEWSPAPER
Belarus's main opposition newspaper, Narodnaya volya, did not appear on the streets of Minsk on October 1. On September 20, its assets were seized by the Lenin district court in Minsk, and the printing house and factory responsible for distributing the newspaper annulled their agreements... MORE
LUKASHENKA AT THE UN: PROPAGANDA AND INVECTIVE
Though the domestic situation in Belarus is tightly controlled by the authorities, the administration of President Alexander Lukashenka has been isolated internationally to an increasing extent. It was designated an "outpost of tyranny" by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and the U.S. administration and... MORE
BELARUS: THE LAST SUMMER OF THE OPPOSITION
The apocalyptic phrase "last summer of the opposition" was the title of an article by Dmitry Drigailo, which prognosticated that after the 2006 presidential elections in Belarus, the political opposition would cease to exist. Either it will come to power or "it will be taken... MORE
THE SAGA OF THE NEW RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR TO BELARUS
The appointment of the former Saratov governor, Dmitry Ayatskov, as the new Russian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Belarus has resulted in a protracted scandal that has complicated relations with Russia and the proposed formation of a Union state. It indicates a clear hardening of... MORE
FAUX PAS IN BRUSSELS, FEHLTRITT IN BERLIN REGARDING BELARUS
Representatives of civil society in Belarus and the Executive Council of the Rada of the Belarusian Republic are appealing to the European Commission (EC, executive arm of the European Union) and the German government-connected international broadcaster, Deutsche Welle Radio, to correct their recent decision to... MORE
BELARUS-POLAND DISPUTE REFLECTS LUKASHENKA’S GROWING MISTRUST OF THE WEST
The continuing dispute between Belarus and Poland appears to be reaching a climax, as Poland has recalled its ambassador from Belarus and appears to be considering the expulsion of the Belarusian ambassador to Poland. The conflict follows a police raid on the headquarters of the... MORE
RUSSIA-BELARUS: THE COMPLEX RELATIONSHIP II
When Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenka bid farewell to the outgoing Russian ambassador, Alexander Blokhin, on July 5, he remarked that the past few years have been an especially fruitful time for bilateral relations, and particularly the most recent year. His comments raise the question how... MORE
RUSSIA-BELARUS: THE COMPLEX RELATIONSHIP
On July 2, Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenka was interviewed by Oleg Poptsov of the Russian TV Center, a company that covers nine Russian regions, in a program that lasted for three hours. The interview covered a variety of issues, but the key focus was on... MORE
BELARUS OPPOSITION DEBATES TACTICS
The question of nominating a single candidate from the opposition forces to face Alexander Lukashenka in the prospective 2006 presidential election has elicited serious debate in Belarus. Plainly there is a lack of consensus about the procedure and the choice of potential candidates. The Belarusian... MORE