To the Deputies of the State Duma of Russian Federation.
To the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russian Federation.
To the ambassador of Russian Federation in Belarus.
Dear sirs!
I must send your the letter concerning the parliamentary election which was held in Belarus, their estimations on the part of some political figures of Russia.
As the direct participant of this election who had tried to be registered as the candidate in the deputy, taking part in the observation over the course of the election as a spectator, I offer you the my estimation of the political situation in Belarus and of the election being based on the particular facts open "from inside" of the most electoral process.
In the begining of the ninetieth we with you were in the structure of one state and almost everything in our life was identical. For the years which passed both Belarus and Russia went on different ways, they became completely different in the social system.
In Belarus the corrupt-command system which existed during the Soviet Union today is completely renewed. Here everything is decided by one man, the President of Belarus Alexander Grigorievich Lukashenko. Today in his arms the executive, executive and judicial powers are concentrated. In Belarus the mass media (television, radio and large newspapers)are monopolised by the state. Some opposition issues have relatively small circulation and are permanently the subject to persecutions on the part of the state bodies.
In Belarus the majority of firms are state. Substantially, there were no any privatisation. Though the leaders of the of country always speaks in the favour of business, but in reality it fights with it.
Belarus today are an enclave of communism, in the centre of Europe many features of its state structure resemble Northern Korea. The mode existing in Belarus, as any communist state, can not exist without suppression of a dissent, without monopolisation of MASS-MEDIA, without falsification of the elections or realisation them with breaches of the conventional international norms of the electoral legislation.
We think that the government of Belarus does not fulfil conditions at which the European community could consider the parliamentary election corresponding to the international norms of democracy and openness, namely:
- the climate of confidence is not created. The political opponents of the present authority are the subject to criminal, administrative and other prosecution;
- the Elective Code does not correspond to the international standards, does not provide openness and transparency of the electoral process;
- there is no access of opposition to mass media;
- the parliament of Belarus has no real power.
The president of Belarus A. G. Lukashenko directly during the election said that he had executed all arrangements with opposition and with OBSE. It is lie. We, citizens of Belarus, have already got used to the daily lie лfrom Lukashenko╗.
September 29 the speaker of the State Duma of Russia Gennady Seleznev at the Congress of the Councils expressed his opinion that in Belarus all conditions for fair and democratic election are created. Besides in the beginning of September the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia disagreed with the estimation of the situation in Belarus by the state department of the USA and also estimated the created conditions which to their mind corresponded to international norms of democracy to realise the election.
In connection with the above-mentioned facts I would like to ask the communist Gennady Zuganov and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia: лOn the basis of that facts do they come to the conclusion that the election in Belarus are free and democratic? On the basis of a personal meeting with Alexander Grigorievich Lukashenko?╗ We know he can promise a lot, he in 1994 promise a lot to the voters, that today he can not "recollect" all this in any way.
We saw the Russian spectators - full formalism, instead of observation. They visited some sites, were there for 5 minutes, smiled and left. In the eyes of these spectators we read that the observation for them is not necessary.
Does a communist Seleznev and sirs from the Russian Ministries of Foreign Affairs know that about 250 representatives of the opposition were not allowed to take part in the election by a method of refusal in the registration as candidate for formal reasons. Personally I was refused in the registration because I did not mention, ostensibly, a wood building (a lavatory) in my dacha. My colleagues were refused in the registration because they, ostensibly, had hidden the party membership from the district electoral commissions, in spite of the fact that they were not members of any political party. They stated that they were not members of any political party and the commission had no any documents proving their party membership. The mother of a large family having two higher educations was refused because she had not mentioned the public organisation in which she "works" on a voluntary basis as a place of her work. If the communist Sleznev was the citizen of Belarus and was not very careful to disagree with the policy of the President of Belarus he would get in the lists "of the forbidden" candidates and would be never registered as the candidate in the deputy, not speaking about his victory.
MASS-MEDIA controlled by the Government said that a spectator from Italy sir Santory was touched when he heard songs of Chelentano at a polling site (Newspaper Soviet Belorussia from 17.10.2000у.) In the same article, the writer of which is Ludmila Maslukova, she assures that the Italians have not found out that the voters were forced to go to the polling sites лunder the barrel of automatics╗. She also writes: лSolidary with the Italians opinion was expressed by the Russian members of parliament observing the elections in regions. Different people and politicians: deputies of the State Duma Alexander Sizov (group лFatherland - All Russia╗), Gasan Mirzoev (unit лUnion of the right forces╗), Vaycheslov Igrunov (лThe Apple╗), Svyatoslav Sokol (CPRF), Frants Klinkevich (fraction ФUnityФ) and other who expressed their thoughts have the same opinion.╗
Certainly, if some deputies of the State Duma of Russia on some reasons want to trust official speeches of A. G. Lukashenko it is very difficult to disabuse them of it. But we, citizens of Belarus, being directly participants of the electoral process, state that the voters were forced to go to the polling sites. Certainly, not under barrels of automatics and under threats: to lose work place, salary, premium, room in a hostel, capability of training in HIGH SCHOOL etc. I personally heard about it from many voters. To prove everything I have said I give you a copy from the newspaper лThe Grodno Truth╗ from 17.10 2000 where the official data about the results of the election which were realised on 15.10.2000 in all three districts of Grodno were published.
It will be easy to everybody to take the calculator and to count up that 30 % of the voters who came on the polling sites either voted against all candidates or spoiled bulletins intentionally.
There is a problem: лWhat for almost did 40 000 of 120 000 voters take part in the election if they did not want anybody to be elected?╗
Dear sirs, deputies of the State Duma of Russia, is it easy for you to recollect what percent of the voters when you personally were elected came on the polling sites and voted for nobody? This digit in Russia and other countries seldom exceeds one percent!
At some polling sites of Grodno the chairmen of commissions came to the conclusion that our voters so stupid because they came on polling sites without a reason!
I think, voters of Grodno (Belarus) and voters, for example, of Penza (Russia) in the schedule of intelligence differ a little. The feature of behaviour of the Grodno voter is explained very simply: he was forced to СvisitФ a polling site!
Thus, everywhere in Belarus about 1,5 million voters were forced to УvisitФ sites. And how many were there postscripts? The spectators were not given capability to observe the way of voting and the calculation of votersТ voices (see <. http://izbiratel.narod.ru/akt53.html >). Think: лWhat is the scale of this farce? What is scale of the Lie? What weight of the people is involved in it? And the officials of the Central elective commission of Belarus and Alexander Lukashenko himself try to convince the world community that the election is democratic. And do you trust them? About it know and speak the majority of the citizens of Belarus!╗ Only some political figures of Russia are "deaf" and "blind". They, especially communists, were "blinded" joining attempts of A. G. Lukashenko. He "unites everything and seems to some to be a strategic partner of Russia, he is for recovery of the Soviet Union, he sees that soon there will be a reunification of our peoples. However to our mind A. G. Lukashenko will never agree with a role of the governor of the Belorussian province in a structure of Russia, it does not in his nature.
Do the sirs deputies of the State Duma of Russia know that the citizens of Belarus are more familiar with you rather than with the deputies of the parliament of Belarus. On TV we frequently see as in the Russian State Duma there is arguing about problems. What is done in the parliament of Belarus we do not see and hear. If you in the state Duma argue something, in the Chamber of the Representatives of Belarus there is "constructivism", when you translate it into Russian youТll understand that it is a - full unanimity. At the same Congress of Councils 29.09.2000 looking at Gennady Seleznev A. G. Lukashenko said that the deputies of the Belorussian parliament: лWorked, and bothered nobody╗. What is it the parliament which bothers nobody? Why the State Duma of Russia sometimes "bothers" the government of Russia?
The purpose of the electoral farce realised by A Lukashenko on 15.10.2000 in Belarus is the election of such deputies who would not bother him, A. G. Lukashenko.
Dear sirs, I myself speaks Russian as well as 90 % of the population of Belarus do though I a native born citizen of Belarus. I have sincere friendly feelings to the brotherly Russian people, I think that it is impossible that in the future between our peoples there conflicts would be. However that fact that some political figures of Russia with the unconditional support of A. G Lukashenko promote conservation of the pro - communist mode established in Belarus causes a bitter taste and regret. Such support objectively promotes the strengthening of positions of parties of a nationalistic sense, for example, of the Belorussian Popular Front (BPF) which state about the necessity of struggle with the Russian imperialism, act against Russia, against the Russians. I think that such support is an error and does not correspond to the state concerns of Russia and Belarus.
Supporting A. Lukashenko, his policy of a fraud and lie, you grow a serious opposition to Russia in Belarus. If it is not your support, the mode of A. Lukashenko would already have been disorganised for a long time, as it lives extremely with the help of means of the Russian taxpayers.
I believe the existing mode in Belarus will be ruined, I believe in the inevitability of democratic reforms in Belarus. I think that in the future the relations between our independent states should be amicable or even special (as, for example, in England and the USA) and I think that the separate applications of the political figures to support A. G. Lukashenko are annoying incident of interference in the internal business of the independent state Belarus.
Yours faithfully
Valery Levonevsky
27.10.2000
The Republic of Belarus.
230005, Grodno subscriber box # 63 (for the letters)
tel. \fax (0152) 31-30-62
