Before the Belarusian presidential elections period, incumbent President Alexandr Lukashenka had to dissolve his state television show, as his security forces to train, protests. That should scare you, along with constant announcements hard course of action, from participating in demonstrations against electoral fraud. Without success: On Sunday evening, thousands, perhaps tens of thousands against the emerging new electoral fraud on the streets.
Friedrich Schmidt
Political correspondent for Russia and the CIS in Moscow.
F. A. Z.
Not only in the capital, Minsk, where the Regime was already ten years ago, such protests, and then the main opponent Lukaschenkas sentenced to year of imprisonment for “mass riots”. But also in many other cities of the country such as in Pinsk, Vitebsk, Brest. That reflects the fact that Lukaschenkas Power in the 26 years that he ruled Belarus, never so in question was put in this summer that a lot of Belarusians “fed,” as it was called in the election campaign, often considered his main Challenger, Svetlana Tichanowskaja, in the case of performances, tens of Thousands Call for change, Dignity, and fair elections enthusiasts.
dozens injured in Minsk alone
The balance of the night after the elections, is still incomplete, but pictures and reports from Russia reveal that Lukaschenkas Omon special forces to use their entire Arsenal against the citizens of the country: water guns, hard rubber bullets, and noise grenades, tear gas, stun guns, batons. From the ranks of the protesters, bottles were thrown, firecrackers and stones on the forces.
in Minsk Alone, dozens of people were injured by the use of force; the photos show the open wounds and bloody faces. According to unconfirmed Reports, a young protester was killed. At least one man was knocked down by a Arrestbus and hurt. The protesters chanted “It is our country”, “Belarus” or “Go and live the way” to the address Lukaschenkas.
During the night the Regime-in-law, of Lukashenka nothing came up. Also the authorities were holding back with official information. The human rights defenders of “Wjasna” (spring) were 126 arrests across Belarus, including 55 in Minsk. Tichanowskaja turned in the night to their supporters and the security forces, and called, as in the days before, and, no violence and allow the police and troops were “part of the people,” said Tichanowskaja. Your voters asked you to give no reason, “against us from violence”.
Alternative count Tichanowskaja sees as a winner
The state news Agency Belta reported on Monday morning, citing the interior Ministry, the police have taken control of the Situation “in unauthorized mass events”. The investigative Committee opened – as in 2010 – on Monday morning, a procedure for “mass unrest” and noted that dozens of police officers had been injured. More than a hundred investigators were involved in the case. Okay, the trash containers, benches, stones, plates, bottles, fireworks and hot liquids as weapons could have been used, threatened to disturbers of eight to 15 years of imprisonment, was it. It is not until this Monday, the preliminary results of the presidential elections to be published.
All inflamed at the official post-election surveys, the assigned Lukashenka, around 80 percent, Tichanowskaja only around seven to eight. The Opposition believes that the results are fictitious, “drawn”. This Monday morning by a faithful Lukaschenkas-run electoral Commission published preliminary results, the attribute Lukashenka eighty, Tichanowskaja 9.9 percent. The result for Lukashenka corresponds to the past elections and, moreover, his own announcement on the eve of this election, as he said, a good twenty percent of the voters would never have voted for him.
