The Central Election Committee registered four Presidential Candidates on January 17.  A. Milinkevich, A. Lukashenko, A. Kazulin, and S. Gaidukevich got the certificate as Presidential Candidates. Nevertheless Milinkevich´s regional teams are subjected to sytematic pressure from authorities (21-FEB-06)
(18-JAN-06). 

The agitation stage started on the same day.  The incumbent President declared equal opportunities for all the participants of the election campaign.  

Access to media
According to the legislation, each Presidential Candidate will have an opportunity to address his electorate for two times via the channels of the central television and radio. The duration of the address is 30 minutes. But instead of live broadcast the address will be recorded.  At the same time, the incumbent President has about 90% of the all the broadcasting, BAJ reports.

Systematic pressure
Provocations and impediments against the opposistion candidates have taken place. This can be seen by the actions of local authorities who do not supply the candidate with premises or change the place of meeting with the candidate without any agreement with him. Detention and multiple examinations of the candidate and the members of his team by the officers of the State Motor Vehicle Inspectorate are common practice.  In some cases people picketing for Milinkevich were detained.  The leader of the regional headquarters and the activists of youth movements supporting Milinkevich are subjected to systematic pressure from the the authorities.  Searches, detentions, and administrative sanctions are exercised.  No other Presidential Candidate’s team experiences such problems.

The right to fight for freedom
Nevertheless, the united candidate from the democratic powers looks ahead with optimism.  -The people of Belarus have been fighting for freedom for hundreds of years. And today freedom is our first word. We demand honest and legal elections that will be held according to the Constitution. And we tell the authorities – provide such elections and the people will agree with you. If the authorities will not hold such elections, the people have the right to fight for truth and freedom.  And no one can deprive them of this right, said Alexandr Milinkevich during the meeting with his voters.