Belarus 'raped voters minds'

2006-03-23 18:08

Minsk - The opposition in Belarus challenged President Alexander Lukashenko's re-election yesterday, saying the government had "raped the minds" of voters.

Officials dismissed the complaints, however, and endorsed the election results.

Western countries, long critical of Lukashenko's Soviet-style rule, have joined the opposition in dismissing last Sunday's poll as fraudulent, after the president was awarded 82.6% of the vote.

His closest rival, Alexander Milinkevich, received 6.1%.

The European Union said on Thursday it was considering imposing visa sanctions on the entire Belarus leadership, extending an existing ban covering six officials.

It was not clear if this would include Lukashenko himself.

Protesters in Minsk square

Although security forces routinely disperse protests, up to 10 000 protesters have been allowed to stay in a Minsk square since the vote.

A big opposition rally is scheduled for Saturday.

Another opposition candidate, Alexander Kozulin, who was placed third with 2.2% of the vote, was allowed by the central election commission to contest the returns.

"The presidential election was unconstitutional, unfair and does not conform to Belarussian laws," he told the commission.

"There was mass fraud and irregularities. Society has been infected by a malignant cancer of fear. The authorities have raped the minds of our people."

Commission members rejected his call for a re-run vote in September and Kozulin stormed out of the meeting.

- Reuters