More than 1,000 people, many of them students, gathered in central Minsk tonight to protest against the referendum
Published:
19 October 2004 y., Tuesday
More than 1,000 people, many of them students, gathered in central Minsk tonight to protest against the referendum called by Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka to extend his staying in power.
Protestors chanted "Shame!" and "Fascists!"
Police and protesters clashed briefly and several demonstrators were reportedly detained.
Official figures showed Lukashenka won the support of nearly 80 percent of registered voters for a proposal to lift a constitutional rule limiting him to two terms in power.
In the parliamentary vote, the beleaguered liberal opposition failed to win a single seat in the 110-member lower house. The head of the monitoring mission from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Tone Tingsgaard, said the "vote fell significantly short of [international] standards."
The U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher also echoed doubts expressed by the OSCE.
Russia was more supportive of the vote, saying monitors from Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) had found no serious law violations.
Šaltinis:
rferl.org
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
The dark spectre of unemployment is stalking Europe and 2010 is the year it has earmarked in the fight against poverty.
more »
Just about a month after a devastating 8.8-magnitude earthquake destroyed vast swaths of Chile’s south central region, residents in the coastal town of Dichato continue to wait for much needed aid.
more »
The European Parliament will once again mark “Earth Hour” by switching off lights in all its buildings for one hour this Friday and Saturday.
more »
Only one in 10 board members of Europe's biggest listed companies is a woman and all central bank governors in the EU are male.
more »
New rules in 10 EU countries would let international couples choose which country’s law applies to their divorces.
more »
The EP's Committee on Culture and Education urges the EU to promote non-formal education, combat youth unemployment and help young people with special needs.
more »
More than 50 million people in southwest China are struggling to cope with what is being called the worst drought in living memory.
more »
Ideas sought on how to improve train, energy and banking services - a major cause of headaches for consumers in Europe.
more »
The EBRD is supporting the rehabilitation of the water and wastewater system in the city of Aktau, in the Mangystau region of Kazakhstan, with a loan in Kazakhstan Tenge (KZT) equivalent to €5.8 million (KZT 1.2 billion) to Aktau TVS&V, the municipal water and district heating company serving the city.
more »
The world’s biggest St. Patrick’s Day parade bathed New York’s Fifth Avenue in a sea of green.
more »