The Fist in His Pocket
Election Simulation in Belarus
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
In the Belarusian parliamentary election at the end of September, the 110 members of the House of Representatives were determined anew. All of the seats went to regime candidates. According to the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe, the election was neither free nor fair. The official turnout of nearly 75 per cent is clearly exaggerated. Many people stayed away from the polls and thus expressed distrust of the regime. Tacit support for Alexander Lukashenka is crumbling, but the fractious opposition has so far been unable to derive any benefit from this.
(Osteuropa 9/2012, pp. 53–56)