BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

01/02/2006

EU will sanction Belarus in case of undemocratic elections

Alexander Milinkevici is seen as the main opposition candidate in the 19 March presidential elections in Belarus. Mr Milinkevici left yesterday for Brussels to meet senior European officials, according to The Daily paper. The favorite of the Belorussian opposition attended the Council of EU Foreign Ministers which requested that the official Minsk should ensure free and democratic elections, threatening with sanctions if Lukashenko administration does not meet the standards.

"The EU is decided to support the democratization of Belarus. Journalists will have complete freedom. Nobody will tell them what to do. They will follow their professional instincts," EU commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said.

Five candidates, including the current president who has held the office since 1994, are running for presidency. The fifth candidate, Zenon Poznizk, expected to take 10% of the vote, left the electoral race at the end of last week passing his votes to Milinkevici. As state polls show, Milinkevici would get 18% of the vote. // Reporter.MD

Source:

http://politicom.moldova.org/stiri/eng/8974/