Opinion on the Referendum of 17 October 2004 in Belarus
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Belarus Country Report BTI 2014
BTI 2014 | Belarus Country Report Status Index 1-10 4.31 # 101 of 129 Political Transformation 1-10 3.93 # 99 of 129 Economic Transformation 1-10 4.68 # 90 of 129 Management Index 1-10 2.80 # 119 of 129 scale score rank trend This report is part of the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Transformation Index (BTI) 2014. It covers the period from 31 January 2011 to 31 January 2013. The BTI assesses the transformation toward democracy and a market economy as well as the quality of political management in 129 countries. More on the BTI at http://www.bti-project.org. Please cite as follows: Bertelsmann Stiftung, BTI 2014 — Belarus Country Report. Gütersloh: Bertelsmann Stiftung, 2014. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. BTI 2014 | Belarus 2 Key Indicators Population M 9.5 HDI 0.793 GDP p.c. $ 15592.3 Pop. growth1 % p.a. -0.1 HDI rank of 187 50 Gini Index 26.5 Life expectancy years 70.7 UN Education Index 0.866 Poverty3 % 0.1 Urban population % 75.4 Gender inequality2 - Aid per capita $ 8.8 Sources: The World Bank, World Development Indicators 2013 | UNDP, Human Development Report 2013. Footnotes: (1) Average annual growth rate. (2) Gender Inequality Index (GII). (3) Percentage of population living on less than $2 a day. Executive Summary Belarus faced one the greatest challenges of the Lukashenka presidency with the economic shocks that swept the country in 2011. The government’s own policies of politically motivated increases in state salaries and directed lending resulted in a balance of payments crisis, a massive decrease in central bank reserves, a currency crisis as queues formed at banks to change Belarusian rubles into dollars or euros, rampant hyperinflation, a devaluation of the national currency, and a significant drop in real incomes for Belarusian households. -
Time Project Event Unite the Nations 3 May 2011
Time Project Event 2011 May 3rd 2011 TIME PROJECT EVENT UNITE THE NATIONS 3 MAY 2011 Short instruction: 1) How many questions do I have to answer? There are 250 questions. Every Country has 25 questions. Every school HAS to answer 225 questions, which means you do not ANSWER THE 25 questions FROM YOUR OWN COUNTRY. For example: Russia: There are 25 questions about Russia. More than one school from Rusia contributed questions which means there may be some Russian questions some Russian students may not recognize (they came from the other school ). Schools from Russia do not answer the 25 questions about Russia regardless of who contributed the questions. You never answer the questions about YOUR OWN COUNTRY. 2) How do I find the answers? - Encyclopaedias, the Internet, the Library or other sources at school or in the community - Get in touch with other time participants to find answers to questions which are difficult for you. 3) Where and when do I send the answers? Questions have to answered on line at the ZOHO Challenge Site. https://challenge.zoho.com/unite_the_nations_2011 Test starts 00:00 GMT May 3rd 2011 - Deadline: 00:00 GMT/UTC 4 May 2011! Other questions?? Get in touch with Event Co-ordinator ! [email protected] phone: +01.519.452.8310 cellphone +01.519.200.5092 fax: +01.519.452. 8319 And now…the game! Time Project Event 2011 May 3rd 2011 ARTS Argentina 1) Who wrote the book "Martin Fierro"? a) Jose Hernandez b) Peschisolido miguel angel c) David vineyards d) Jorge Luis Borges 2) What is the typical dance of Argentina? a) quartet b) tango c) cumbia d) capoeira 3) Who was Carlos Gardel? a) a singer of cumbia b) a soccer player c) a singer of tango d) a former president 4) Who was Lola Mora? a) a model b) a sculptor c) an athlete d) a journalist 5) Which Argentine made and released the world's first animated feature film. -
2. Historical, Cultural and Ethnic Roots1
2. HISTORICAL, CULTURAL AND ETHNIC ROOTS1 General features of ethnic identity evolution history, to develop autonomous state structures, in the eastern part of Europe their lives have mostly been determined by out- side forces with diverse geopolitical interests. Differences may be observed between Eastern The uncertain political situation of past cen- and Western Europe in terms of the ethnogenesis turies gave rise – along the linguistic, cultural of the peoples and the development of their eth- and political fault lines – to several ethnic groups nic identity. In the eastern half of the continent, with uncertain identities, disputed allegiances rather than be tied to the confines of a particular and divergent political interests. Even now, there state, community identity and belonging have exist among the various groups overlaps, differ- tended to emerge from the collective memory of ences and conflicts which arose in earlier periods. a community of linguistic and cultural elements The characteristic features of the groups have not or, on occasion, from the collective memory of a been placed in a clearly definable framework. state that existed in an earlier period (Romsics, In the eastern half of Europe, the various I. 1998). The evolution of the eastern Slavic and ethnic groups are at different stages of devel- Baltic peoples constitutes a particular aspect of opment in terms of their ethnic identity. The this course. We can, therefore, gain insights into Belarusian people, who speak an eastern Slavic the historical foundations of the ethnic identity language, occupy a special place among these of the inhabitants of today’s Belarus – an identity groups. -
The EU and Belarus – a Relationship with Reservations Dr
BELARUS AND THE EU: FROM ISOLATION TOWARDS COOPERATION EDITED BY DR. HANS-GEORG WIECK AND STEPHAN MALERIUS VILNIUS 2011 UDK 327(476+4) Be-131 BELARUS AND THE EU: FROM ISOLATION TOWARDS COOPERATION Authors: Dr. Hans-Georg Wieck, Dr. Vitali Silitski, Dr. Kai-Olaf Lang, Dr. Martin Koopmann, Andrei Yahorau, Dr. Svetlana Matskevich, Valeri Fadeev, Dr. Andrei Kazakevich, Dr. Mikhail Pastukhou, Leonid Kalitenya, Alexander Chubrik Editors: Dr. Hans-Georg Wieck, Stephan Malerius This is a joint publication of the Centre for European Studies and the Konrad- Adenauer-Stiftung. This publication has received funding from the European Parliament. Sole responsibility for facts or opinions expressed in this publication rests with the authors. The Centre for European Studies, the Konrad-Adenauer- Stiftung and the European Parliament assume no responsibility either for the information contained in the publication or its subsequent use. ISBN 978-609-95320-1-1 © 2011, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V., Sankt Augustin / Berlin © Front cover photo: Jan Brykczynski CONTENTS 5 | Consultancy PROJECT: BELARUS AND THE EU Dr. Hans-Georg Wieck 13 | BELARUS IN AN INTERnational CONTEXT Dr. Vitali Silitski 22 | THE EU and BELARUS – A Relationship WITH RESERvations Dr. Kai-Olaf Lang, Dr. Martin Koopmann 34 | CIVIL SOCIETY: AN analysis OF THE situation AND diRECTIONS FOR REFORM Andrei Yahorau 53 | Education IN BELARUS: REFORM AND COOPERation WITH THE EU Dr. Svetlana Matskevich 70 | State bodies, CONSTITUTIONAL REALITY AND FORMS OF RULE Valeri Fadeev 79 | JudiciaRY AND law -
Holocaust Memorial Days an Overview of Remembrance and Education in the OSCE Region
Holocaust Memorial Days An overview of remembrance and education in the OSCE region 27 January 2015 Updated October 2015 Table of Contents Foreword .................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 2 Albania ................................................................................................................................. 13 Andorra ................................................................................................................................. 14 Armenia ................................................................................................................................ 16 Austria .................................................................................................................................. 17 Azerbaijan ............................................................................................................................ 19 Belarus .................................................................................................................................. 21 Belgium ................................................................................................................................ 23 Bosnia and Herzegovina ....................................................................................................... 25 Bulgaria ............................................................................................................................... -
BELARUS Restrictions on the Political and Civil Rights of Citizens Following the 2010 Presidential Election
BELARUS Restrictions on the Political and Civil Rights of Citizens Following the 2010 Presidential Election of person. Article 4: No one shall be held in slavery Article 1: All human beings are born free and equal or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms. Article 5: No one shall be subjected to in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Article 6: Everyone has the right to recognition spirit of brotherhood. Article 2: Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, everywhere as a person before the law. Article 7: All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimi- without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, nation to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination. Article 8: Everyone has the right to an effective rem- basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person edy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty. by law. Article 9: No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, Article 3: Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security June 2011 564a Uladz Hrydzin © This report has been produced with the support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). -
Belarus Before Voting: the Referendum (Past, Presence and Perspectives)
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Policy Documentation Center CENTER FOR POLITICAL EDUCATION Miensk, Republic of Belarus -mail: [email protected] Gutta c a v at lapidem Belarus before Voting: The Referendum (Past, Presence and Perspectives) Introduction: This analysis was prepared from August 25-September 25, 2004 by Andrei Liakhovich, the head of the Minsk-based Center for Political Education (CPE), focusing on the referendum on a possible third term in office for President Alexander Lukashenka, which is scheduled – together with the parliamentary elections – on October 17, 2004. Since September 2003, the Pontis Foundation of Slovakia has been implementing a project in Belarus assisting think-tank and analytical groups mainly through exchange programs.1 As part of this project, Pontis is distributing two analyses before the parliamentary elections (and the referendum) to help increase the flow of analytical information. The views in the analysis are by the CPE. The Pontis Foundation does not necessarily share them. Summary: The democratic opposition could stop President Lukashenka’s bid for a third term only if it were to implement the “Yugoslav variant” in Belarus. However, there are no pre-conditions for such an approach. Most Belarusian voters believe that the elections will be falsified. Despite the fact that there is general disappointment regarding the democrats, the ideas of democracy and European Belarus are still popular among citizens.2 The problem is the lack of (personal) alternatives to Lukashenka, and the fact that Belarusian voters (including the traditional supporters of the democrats) are resigned to the up-coming falsification. -
Culture and Change in Belarus
East European Reflection Group (EE RG) Identifying Cultural Actors of Change in Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova Culture and Change in Belarus Report prepared by Yael Ohana, Rapporteur Generale Bratislava, August 2007 Culture and Change in Belarus “Life begins for the counter-culture in Belarus after regime change”. Anonymous, at the consultation meeting in Kiev, Ukraine, June 14 2007. Introduction1 Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine have recently become direct neighbours of the European Union. Both Moldova and Ukraine have also become closer partners of the European Union through the European Neighbourhood Policy. Neighbourhood usually refers to people next-door, people we know, or could easily get to know. It implies interest, curiosity and solidarity in the other living close by. For the moment, the European Union’s “neighbourhood” is something of an abstract notion, lacking in substance. In order to avoid ending up “lost in translation”, it is necessary to question and some of the basic premises on which cultural and other forms of European cooperation are posited. In an effort to create constructive dialogue with this little known neighbourhood, the European Cultural Foundation (ECF) and the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) are currently preparing a three- year partnership to support cultural agents of change in Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine. In the broad sense, this programme is to work with, and provide assistance to, initiatives and institutions that employ creative, artistic and cultural means to contribute to the process of constructive change in each of the three countries. ECF and GMF have begun a process of reflection in order to understand the extent to which the culture sphere in each of the three countries under consideration can support change, defined here as processes and dynamics contributing to democratisation, Europeanisation and modernisation in the three countries concerned. -
WHEN the PRESIDENT COMES Potemkinist Order As an Alternative to Democracy in Belarus
WHEN THE PRESIDENT COMES Potemkinist Order as an Alternative to Democracy in Belarus Anastasiya Astapova, University of Tartu, Uppsala University The Potemkin village is a metaphor for the cases of conscious, yet false construction or beautifi- cation for the sake of presenting something as better than it is, usually in front of high officials. Enumerating multiple cases and possible applications of the term (and its synonyms), I base my research on Belarus, a former Soviet and still socialist independent state governed by the same president since 1994. Going there for fieldwork at least twice a year, I noticed the extreme popu- larity of stories about Potemkin villages erected for the visits of the president, high officials, or foreigners. Analyzing vernacular attitudes toward Potemkinism, I argue for the multidimensional understanding of it, suggesting that in a socialist state, Potemkinist order becomes a viable alterna- tive to democracy and a significant means for the country’s self-representation. Keywords: Belarus, Potemkin villages, post-socialism, rumor, window-dressing The Potemkin villages phenomenon owes its name the defects and contradictions of the present were to what was perhaps the most famous case of build- overlooked and the world was described not as it ing façades to hoodwink important visitors. In 1787, was but as it was becoming, as Soviet Marxists be- Catherine the Great (the Empress of Russia) departed lieved it necessarily would be [Fitzpatrick’s italics] to see her newly conquered territory of Novorossiya in future” (Fitzpatrick 1994: 16). Michael David-Fox and Tavrida. To show this territory in the best possi- also mentions Soviet kultpokaz (“cultural show”) ble way, General Grigory Potemkin ordered the con- and pokazuha (“window-dressing”) as a practice of struction of mock-up villages along her route. -
General Assembly Distr.: General 22 September 2017
United Nations A/72/493 General Assembly Distr.: General 22 September 2017 Original: English Seventy-second session Agenda item 72 (c) Promotion and protection of human rights: human rights situations and reports of special rapporteurs and representatives Situation of human rights in Belarus* Note by the Secretary-General The Secretary-General has the honour to transmit to the General Assembly the report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, Miklós Haraszti, submitted in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 32/26. * The present report was submitted after the deadline to take into account information received by the Special Rapporteur during his trip to Minsk in July 2017. 17-16691 (E) 031017 *1716691* A/72/493 Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus Summary The present report is submitted by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 32/26. The report examines the relationship between the unique features of governance of Belarus and its situation of human rights. It concludes that one of the main structural reasons for both the entrenched systemic abuse of human rights and the cyclical waves of mass repression in the country is that all powers are assumed by the executive branch, chiefly the President and the presidential administration. Although the Constitution provides for the separation of powers and respect for human rights, the reality is a monolithic power structure with laws and governance aimed at maintaining the concentration of powers and an absence of effective human rights guarantees. -
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The Belarusian CRISIS And the Influence of Russia By Pavlo Troian, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine PHOTOS BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS he large-scale protests after the August 2020 presidential election in Belarus are proof that many Belarusians are T not ready to accept the victory of incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko that was announced by the Central Election Commission. According to the official results, he won more than 80% of the votes. The situation was further aggra- vated by the unprecedented level of police violence against protesters who took to the streets to express their disagreement with the official election results. The Belarusian authorities relied on Russian support and accused the West of organizing protests with the aim of overthrowing the government. However, Lukashenko made similar accusations against Russia before the election protests. Why did the situation turn upside down? Let us consider the reasons. Lukashenko has ruled the country for 26 years and is the longest-reigning leader of a European country (not counting monarchs). He was first elected in 1994, and reelected in 2001, 2006, 2010 and 2015. In 2004, he initiated a referendum that removed from the constitution a limit to the maximum number of terms the same person can hold the presidency. During his tenure, Lukashenko has repeatedly been accused of restricting civil rights and freedoms and usurping power. There were accusa- tions of organizing political assassinations — several opponents of A woman in a former Belarusian national flag reacts as opposition supporters gather during a rally to protest the official presidential election results. per Concordiam 55 Lukashenko disappeared without a trace in the late 1990s and army, parliament, council of ministers and other suprana- early 2000s. -
THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION the CURRENT: What's Driving Mass
THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION THE CURRENT: What’s driving mass protests in Belarus? Tuesday, September 8, 2020 Host: Adrianna Pita, Office of Communications, Brookings Guest: Steven Pifer, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Brookings; William J. Perry Fellow, Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford University (MUSIC) PITA: Alexander Lukashenko has been the president of Belarus since 1994, shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union. But although the most recent elections in early August returned Lukashenko to power once again, the people of Belarus have come out in mass protests, with tens of thousands disputing the legitimacy of the elections. Now a month later, protests are still continuing, even as opposition leaders have been forced to leave the country. With us to discuss what’s happening in Belarus is Steven Pifer, a nonresident senior fellow here at Brookings and also a William J. Perry fellow at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University. Steve, thanks for talking to us today. PIFER: Happy to be here. PITA: Lukashenko has ruled for decades. He was commonly referred to as “Europe’s last dictator.” And much of the media and the economy in Belarus I understand are still state-run. So, what was it about this moment in Belarus that’s lead to these mass demonstrations? PIFER: This was actually interesting, and I think what probably surprised a lot of people, myself included, is that for a long time, the people of Belarus have been prepared to put up with Mr. Lukashenko. And it goes back to the beginning – Belarus was probably the new independent state that emerged from the wreckage of the Soviet Union that least knew what it wanted to do with its independence, and wanted the closest relationship with Russia.