[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 125 (Monday, September 24, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S9736]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          ELECTIONS IN BELARUS

  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about Belarus and 
my concerns about the country's recent presidential election.
  Belarus has endured tremendous difficulties in its history. For 
centuries, Belarus has been fought over, occupied and carved up. It has 
borne heavy losses, including the loss of over 2 million people, one 
quarter of its population, during WWII. Today, the Belarusian people 
continue to suffer devastating consequences from the 1986 Chernobyl 
nuclear disaster in neighboring Ukraine.
  Belarus' declaration of independence in 1991 held great promise for a 
better future. As it broke from communist rule, it had the opportunity 
to build a free nation and become part of a peaceful, more secure 
Europe. The country began to embrace economic and political reforms and 
democratic principles. It courageously chose to be a nuclear-free 
state, ratified the START Treaty, acceded to the Non-Proliferation 
Treaty, and became a member of NATO's Partnership for Peace. It 
established a constitution and held its first Presidential election in 
1994.
  Unfortunately, the prospect of democratic change in Belarus was 
quickly halted as its first President, Alexander Lukashenka, adopted 
increasingly authoritarian policies, including amending the 
constitution in a flawed referendum to extend his term and broaden his 
powers. Lukashenka's regime has been marked by a terrible human rights 
record that is progressively getting worse, with little respect for 
freedom of expression, assembly and an independent media. A pattern of 
disturbing disappearances of opposition leaders fails to be seriously 
investigated by authorities. The living conditions in Belarus are 
declining and Lukashenka's refusal to institute economic reforms has 
only exacerbated the situation.
  For months, nations throughout the world have been following closely 
the events leading up to the presidential election which took place on 
September 9, 2001, with hope that Lukashenka would take the necessary 
steps to allow the election to be free, fair and transparent. The 
United States, the European Union and leaders of the Organization for 
Security and Cooperation in Europe, OSCE, had urged Lukashenka to 
uphold his commitments to democratic principles as an OSCE member state 
and adhere to international election standards. Lukashenka was 
encouraged to seize this opportunity to signal to his European 
neighbors and the rest of the world that he is ready to change his 
heavy handed policies which have isolated his government and earned him 
a reputation as the lone remaining dictator in Europe.
  Unfortunately, this election process demonstrated that Lukashenka is 
still unwilling to acknowledge the will of the Belarusian people. Much 
like last year's parliamentary elections, this election was marred by 
reports of intimidation, harassment and fraud. The OSCE concluded that 
it failed to meet internationally recognized democratic election 
standards.
  Leading up to the election the opposition was denied fair and equal 
access to state-controlled media coverage, the independent media was 
harassed, publishing houses were shut down, and newspapers reporting on 
the opposition were seized. International observers from the Office for 
Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, ODHIR, were denied entry into 
the country for several weeks, and some were denied visas altogether, 
thus hindering efforts to establish a complete and thorough observation 
mission. Consequently, observation of critical aspects of a free and 
democratic election were missed, including the formation of election 
commissions and the candidate registration process. As voters cast 
their ballots, efforts to conduct a parallel vote-count were thwarted 
when Belarusian authorities disqualified thousands of domestic election 
observers. As a result, while most of Belarus' Central and Eastern 
European neighbors continue to progress toward democracy and 
integration into a peaceful, more secure Europe, Belarus remains on a 
path of its own, isolated from much of the world.
  The United States must continue to pressure Lukashenka to change his 
archaic iron fist policies and adopt political reforms that espouse 
democratic principles such as respect for human rights, support for 
civil society, and the rule of law. We must continue to urge his regime 
to institute desperately needed market-oriented economic reforms to 
promote trade, investment, growth and development in Belarus. We should 
also engage the Russians in high-level discussions, urging them to 
raise these issues with their neighbor, to pressure Lukashenka to take 
the steps he knows are necessary to facilitate normal, productive 
relations between his country and the international community.
  While putting pressure on the Belarusian Government, the U.S. should 
also continue to support programs that will strengthen civil society 
and build democracy. The OSCE cited one positive observation about the 
Presidential election in Belarus: an increasingly pluralistic civil 
society is emerging and working to build the core institutions 
neglected by the state. The U.S. should continue to support programs 
that will build upon this progress within civil society and help 
restore democracy in Belarus.

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