Quote Originally Posted by Hanna View Post
Does anyone have friends or family there who have a view on this? What do they think?

I have had a chance to read up about Belarus now, and I really think there is a lot of BS floating about in Western media. I don't think it is as bad as some media make out.

The elections there ARE fair according to EU observers. However hard they look they cannot find any proof of ballot stuffing or any type of coercion regarding the voting. The participation is about the same as Britain, about 60%

The problem is that the majority of Belarussians are voting for the "wrong" party/candidate, namely Lukashenko, a socialist who will not open up the country for all-out market capitalism that many powers in the West would support.

Solution? Claim that the elections were rigged and spread catchy one-liners such as "Last dictatorship in Europe".

They probably DO have many problems and bad practices going on there, that should be stopped. But that's another story. If Belarussians prefer socialism/social democracy and think that Lukashenko is OK, so what?

Also Lukashenko's party has refused to implement IMF recommendations of selling off public assets, reducing pensions, wages and state subsidies (which would mean plunging half of the population at least, into poverty).

They keep voting for him because they don't want the political chaos of Ukraine, or the poverty of rural Russia. That makes perfect sense, at least to me. As it is now, they have decent free healthcare and good free universities and everyone can afford to live, buy food and clothes. Most families have a car and a computer. The country is clean and orderly. Many have a car and computer.

Freedom of press is an subjective term but Belarus has privately owned media, including oppositional newspaper that critisize the government. Apparently they have banned printing of some anti-government papers in Belarus itself, so it is printed in the Baltics and imported.

The "disappeared" people apparently largely left the country and can be found in London, Moscow, Paris etc. So they "disappered" from Belarus but not from the face of the earth. If they have any genuine political prisoners (I can't find anything when I google it) then I think they should release them.

Plus the US and the Soros institutions are literally pouring money Into the opposition in Belarus, so there is probably an agenda there. They've tried several times to stage a "colour revolution" but not succeeded because not enough people are interested.

I am just NOT convinced that Belarussians in general would be better off if Lukashenko was toppled and a pro-West or pro-Russia market capitalist system was introduced.

Here is an interesting blog post, including the comments:
Neil Clark: Peter Hitchens on Belarus
Belarus: Dictatorship or Democracy? A Review of Stewart Parker’s: “The Last Soviet Republic” | Robert Lindsay
1. OSCE didn’t recognise the result of these “elections” as legitimate

2. Some Belarusians keep voting for Lukashenko because they are compelled to do so. Yes, elderly population doesn't have the access to the Internet and they believe every word of belarusian state TV channels. There are also a lot of people who work in the state sector of economy and they are forced to vote for Lukashenko and they vote because they are afraid of losing their jobs.

3. By the way, Lukashenko always raise salaries and introduces benefits for some time (e.g. free public transport for students and pupils) just before the election. Actually students, pupils and pensioner have NO social benefits in Belarus. Lukashenko tries to please people before the elections. But after the elections everything becomes worse again.

4. Those who serve in the army or in the police force don't have their own choice and have to vote as their commanders tell them to do.

5. rural Russia lives much better than rural Belarus. At least, in Russia and in Ukraine you may start up your business with no problem. In Belarus, everything belongs to the state.

6. "The "disappeared" people apparently largely left the country and can be found in London, Moscow, Paris etc. " - TELL THIS TO THE MOTHER, WIFE AND SON OF ANDREY ZAVADSKI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Some years ago the wifes, mothers and children of the "disappeared" people often gathered in the center of Minsk and stayed in silence for an hour or two keeping the photos of their "disappeared" sons, husbands and fathers..... Now the police doesn't allow them to do so.

7. The US and Soros sponsor the Belarusian opposition. But where can the opposition find money if they lost their jobs just because they are "enemies of the regime".

8. I'm also not sure that Belarus would be better without Lukashenko but why are we always afraid of any change???!! WE NEED CHANGES! If you are interested, watch the video about the elections 2010 and everything after it, there are subtitles in English