Lukaschenka monopolisiert Weißrussland

Aljaksandr Lukaschenka bereitet sich methodisch auf die Präsidentschaftswahlen 2006 vor und bemüht sich, alle Hindernisse, die seine Wiederwahl gefährden könnten, aus dem Weg zu räumen. Von der Regierung ergriffene Maßnahmen verfolgen folglich das Ziel, Oppositionsparteien, unabhängige soziale Organisationen und unabhängige Medien vollständig zu beseitigen. Hierüber schreibt Agata Wierzbowska-Miazga vom Zentrum für Osteuropastudien in Warschau.

A way to deal with the opposition

On 6th June, the Belarusian Ministry of Justice announced its intent to complete the process of shutting down the offices of parties and organisations located in residential buildings. The order to move offices from residential to office buildings was issued in November 2004 by the justice minister Viktar Halavanau in the regulation „On legal addresses“. The great majority of opposition party offices are located in residential buildings. The state administration in Belarus owns nearly all office spaces in the country and refuses to let them to the opposition. Only in very few cases did the opposition parties manage to move their seats to office buildings. Approximately 90 percent of offices of the Belarusian National Front, the United Civil Party and social democratic parties in the process of consolidation have had their legal addresses annulled, which means that they face formal liquidation. In those regions where their field structures have been banned, political parties are not allowed to register candidates or observers for general elections. Moreover, under the draft amendment to the law „On parties“, those parties that do not have branches in a majority of regions, are going to be banned. However, opposition parties face a realistic threat of being banned even before the amended law enters into force. The Belarusian National Front has been evicted from its only proper office space which was owned by the authorities. It is next to impossible that the party should find a place in another office space, so most probably it will be outlawed. 
Non-governmental organisations are also reporting that their structures are being outlawed. For example, the Mahilou district branch of the Union of Poles in Belarus lost its legal address earlier this month. 

A way to deal with free press

Alaxandr Lukashenka wants to deprive the opposition not only of its structures, but also of the means of communicating with the public, as offered by the few independent media companies left in Belarus. On 31st May he signed the decree No 247 „On additional principles governing the use of the words Belarusian and national“. Under the new regulation, non-state media, organisations and businesses (except for banks, parties, associations and trade unions) are not authorised to use names containing the words Belarusian or national. Those of them who do have either of these adjectives in their name have to re-register under a different name within three months. The new provision will hit the media most severely. Three out of six major non-state-owned titles are Belorusskaya Delovaya Gazeta, Belorusskaya Gazeta and Belorusskiy Rynok. However, having to change titles who have a tradition of more than ten years, is not their only problem. The greatest difficulty stems from the requirement to formally close down the paper and apply for a new registration. In the past, the authorities have repeatedly used the re-registration procedure to effectively rid themselves of inconvenient organisations, businesses or media. Registration applications tend to be rejected on the ground of slight shortcomings such as a missing comma. In addition, in order to register an editorial office one needs to obtain an approval of location from the local executive authorities (and they have the right to refuse such approval without stating the reasons). 
Narodnaya Vola, the last non-state-owned daily, may also disappear from the information market. Presently, the paper faces three civil lawsuits in which nine plaintiffs claim indemnities worth a total of US$ 200 thousand. If the paper is made to pay even a portion of this sum, it will go bankrupt and be closed down. 

Alaxandr Lukashenka is determined to be the president of Belarus for the third time. As he faces growing international pressure, plans of Western countries to take action to support democratisation in Belarus and the experience of transformation in other CIS countries, the president has adopted a much stricter internal policy. He is determined to address even the smallest threats to his position. He is apparently striving for a full monopoly over the political and social life of Belarus.

To read more analyses from the same source, visit the Centre for Eastern Studies website.