Mr Cogito Smiles To See That Belarus's Central Electoral Commission Chairman Lidiya Yermoshina Already Knows The Result Of This Sunday's 'Election'

MINSK, March 15, 2006 (Itar-Tass) -- "The chairman of the Belarussian Central Electoral Commission, Lidiya Yermoshina, believes that the turnout in the March 19 presidential election will be no less than 80 percent.

"We are expecting such a high turnout, because the presidential election for the people of Belarus is an occasion to choose a future for five years to come. The electorate cannot stay indifferent," she said.

In her opinion, the winner will be named in the first round.

"In the current election campaign the indisputable leader has been identified already. It is the incumbent head of state," the CEC chief said.

"The other presidential candidates are not quite sure about their chances themselves, so they have been claiming in advance that "victory will be stolen from them." " ...

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=4596923&PageNum=0

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According to a recent scientific, non-governmental poll in Belarus, Authoritarian President Lukashenka's 'support' has plummeted below 53% [52.9%, + or - 2.98%], with less than half of respondents believing the election will be 'free and fair'. Two weeks before the election, twenty-eight percent of poll respondents say that don't know who they will vote for or refuse to answer. [The survey was conducted almost two weeks ago, February 28 to March 4, 2006, and was of 1,085 adults 18 and older. The statistical range of error, with a 95 percent confidence interval, was + or -2.98%].

InterMedia-sponsored Survey:

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/
stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/
03-15-2006/0004320763&EDATE=

Lukashenka's State apparatus fears that anything less than a landslide victory will lead to the final unravelling of the Authoritarian President Lukashenka's recurrent election vote-rigging strategy.

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When we last met Mr Cogito and Lidiya Yermoshina, the Chairman of the Belarussian Central Electoral Commission ...


MINSK, September 10, 2001 (AP) — "Belarus' authoritarian president swept to another five-year term on promises to merge with Russia and stand up to the West. On Monday, international monitors denounced the election as unfair.

President Alexander Lukashenko won 75.6% of the vote in a preliminary count Monday, the state-run Central Election Commission said. The final results were to be announced Thursday.

Opposition leader Vladimir Goncharik had 15.4% of the vote and centrist politician Sergei Gaidukevich took 2.5%, election commission chairwoman Lidia Yermoshina told a news conference.

Monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said they recorded no violations on voting day Sunday — but said the election "failed to meet international standards."

OSCE said Belarusian authorities did everything possible to block the opposition, including ruling by decree, failing to insure the independence of the election administration, failing to properly control early voting and creating a campaign environment detrimental to the opposition." ...

Associated Press "Lukashenko Claims Victory In Belarus Election" via U.S.A.Today September 10, 2001 [Updated 10:37 AM ET]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2001/09/09/belarus.htm

Also see:

Monday, March 13, 2006

Lukashenko Claims Victory In Belarus Election; Mr Cogito Ponders History

http://renaissanceresearch.blogspot.com/2006/03/
lukashenko-claims-victory-in-belarus.html














Young Belarusian voters hold portraits of Opposition Candidate Alexander Milinkevich.

The vast majority of young Belarusians support democratic opposition candidate Alexander Milinkevich and see their future as belonging in a modern, democratic, open-bordered European nation; rather than outside of Europe in a modern, closed-bordered Authoritarian Eurasian island-nation.

Photo credit: Associated Press With thanks.