BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

22/03/2006

Day four of Belarus election protests

Braving icy winds, protesters in Belarus are continuing to call for a re-run of a presidential election they say was rigged. Scenes of people camped out in the central October Square echo the highly-organised "Orange Revolution" in neighbouring Ukraine. But so far there has been no sign of the Belarus rally reaching a similar scale. Nonetheless, hundreds kept an overnight vigil in Minsk where a huge demonstration is planned on Saturday.

Those taking part in the protest are keen to show they are in good spirits. "I feel great," said one young man. "This is not my first day here. I have been here since March 20, so it is nothing new. It is just like being in a nightclub."

The main opposition leader also spent the night in the square, where the presence of the security services remains low-key. Alexander Milinkevich arrived shortly after protesters were joined by ambassadors from 11 EU countries.

"I missed them, although I knew they would come," he said.

"They have extended the hand of support and it is extremely important for our people. Their attention is equivalent to protection."

Milinkevich was credited with six per cent of the vote. Alexander Lukashenko was re-elected with a landslide 82 per cent in Sunday's ballot which independent monitors have branded neither free nor fair.

Source:

http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=info&article=350217&lng=1