BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS
DATE:
05 January 2006
U.S. Envoy Sees "Dismal Scenario" for Belarus Election
Ambassador George Krol says situation for opposition "very difficult"
By Jeffrey Thomas
Washington File Staff Writer
The prospects for a free and fair presidential election in Belarus March 19 are dismal, according to George Krol, the U.S. ambassador to Belarus.
Krol painted a grim picture for journalists in Washington January 4 about conditions inside a country Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has called "Europe's last dictatorship" on the eve of a crucial election campaign. In the election, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko is running for a third six-year term. Key opposition leaders are imprisoned and Lukashenko opponents also risk violating a new law if they criticize the government. (See related story.)
But Krol declined to be drawn into a discussion about what the United States may do should the Belarusian elections prove a sham but he warned that Belarus "will not be able to enjoy a robust cooperative relationship with the United States and the [European Union] if it maintains this kind of system."
"Despite what may be a dismal scenario in which the alternative views are not being given the freedom by the authorities in accordance with the Belarusian Constitution to be presented freely to the population - which is all part of the political process and should be part of the political process - nevertheless, the people that are in politics and hoping to run are actively engaging people and getting out there and trying the best they can : even though the overall scenario is very difficult," said Krol.
Democracy is not just a matter of counting the votes on Election Day but of allowing a political process, he said. And the crucial issue is whether the population will be allowed to learn about the opposition's message.
In speaking out, Krol was fulfilling Secretary Rice's pledge that the United States would "shine a spotlight on places where people are still denied freedom."
In April 2005, while visiting Vilnius, Lithuania, Rice met several members of Belarusian civil society. She said afterwards that the United States "will always support : the evolution of democratic processes around the world and the desire of people to tap into the aspirations of their populations for freedom. And we will support the idea that elections, when they are held, should be real elections. They should not be sham elections and the international community ought to be prepared and ready to help Belarus to carry out free and fair elections in 2006." (See related article.)
In May 12, 2005, congressional testimony Rice said it is necessary "to stand with people in places like Belarus : to let them know that, at least, the United States is with them."
Despite frequent international criticism, the Belarusian government has taken the path of repression, according to Krol. Independent media have been shut down. Several opposition leaders have been imprisoned. A new Belarusian law criminalizing acts "discrediting Belarus abroad" came into effect December 30, 2005. "A sense of insecurity and fear" reigns in Belarus, Krol said.
While all of the other former Soviet republics have moved towards greater economic freedom, Belarus has made little progress on economic reform and market liberalization and stills ranks among the most repressed countries economically in the world. (See related article.)
The United States has criticized these moves both diplomatically and publicly.
Diplomatically, Krol said, he has communicated U.S. concerns about repression and the lack of a free and fair election campaign to the Belarusian government. He also has aired these concerns publicly in Belarus, he said, but the state-controlled media has not reported his remarks.
In the United States, the U.S. Congress passed and President Bush signed into law the Belarus Democracy Act in October 2004. Passed unanimously by both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, the law provides assistance for Belarusian political parties, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and independent media while prohibiting U.S. government agencies from providing loans and investment to the Belarus government, except for humanitarian goods. (See related article.)
The law was enacted in response to the Lukashenko regime's holding a referendum that eliminated constitutional limits on his term in office, which allowed him to run in the upcoming election. The referendum campaign and concurrent parliamentary elections, President Bush said when signing the law, "were conducted in a climate of abuse and fear. [the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe] and other observers have determined that this victory was achieved by fraudulent means."
"The fate of Belarus will rest not with a dictator, but with the students, trade unionists, civic and religious leaders, journalists, and all citizens of Belarus claiming freedom for their nation," said Bush.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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