On 27 January the initiative groups of the potential candidates for the position of the president of the country finish collection of signatures. As is known, elections are due on 19 March 2006. The pretenders are as follows:
1) the united opposition leader Aleksandr Milinkievich,
2) the leader of the Social Democratic Party Aleksandr Kazulin,
3) the leader of the Conservative Christian Party Zenon Pozniak, in political immigration since 1996,
4) the former deputy of the Parliament, General Valeri Frolov.
And two candidates representing the authorities:
5) a member of the lower chamber of the Parliament Sergei Haidukievich
6) the current President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko.
To be registered, each of the 6 pretenders has to collect at least 100 thousand signatures, apart from submitting tax declarations. The newsreaders of the state-controlled television companies say that the signature collection campaign is characterized by a high level of activity and virtual absence of violations. It is true that the people of the country are taking quite an active part in this process. But because the authorities widely use their administrative leverage, people in some places do not submit their signatures voluntarily or in favor of the candidate they really support.
Members of the initiative groups of the opposition candidates are complaining about the pressure exerted by the authorities.
The signature collectors face all kinds of obstacles. Quite often they are not allowed to collect signatures in educational establishments, boarding schools and dormitories. Teachers and lecturers force many students to submit their signatures in support of the current president – “otherwise, you will fail your exam”.
Some people employed in state-controlled companies are instructed by their employers not to take part in the collection of signatures that are “not in support of the current president”, under the threat of dismissal (or the threat of the employers refusing to renew their employment contract). In some known cases workers of the post offices, residential maintenance companies and schools had to collect a certain number of signatures in support of Lukashenko.
The leader of the Aliaxandr Milinkievich initiative group Aliaxandr Bukhvostau argues that signatures in support of Aleksandr Lukashenko are being collected where people work. Some initiative groups complain that the collectors of signatures in support of Aliaxandr Lukashenko tell voters that they can only submit their signature once.
The Central Election Committee issued a warning to the initiative groups of Milinkievich and Pozniak “for agitation during collection of signatures by means of distributing calendars”. These politicians do not think this warning is legal and are planning to appeal this decision in court.
The initiative group of Lukashenko has not been issued a single warning.
As of today all of the six candidates said that they have collected signatures in excess of the required threshold (100000). The potential candidates will only be able to continue with the electoral race only after the territorial election commissions will check the validity of these signatures.
