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MINSK, Belarus (CNN) -- Western leaders have agreed to impose restrictive measures on the Belarussian government as they condemned a crackdown against opposition protesters in Minsk.
But while Friday's forced removal by police of about 200 demonstrators from the center of the capital Minsk sparked criticism by the European Union and United States, Russia accused an international security organization of instigating tensions during the election campaign.
The demonstrators, led by a political opposition that plans to hold a mass rally on Saturday, want a re-run of the election that gave President Alexander Lukashenko five more years in power. The opposition says the poll was rigged.
In a declaration at the end of a summit in Brussels on Friday, all 25 European leaders agreed, declaring the March 19 presidential vote "fundamentally flawed."
Full story
Some background info:
Belarus is a republic with the president elected for five-year terms. The president appoints the government, central bank governor and other officials. Lukashenko changed the constitution via a nationwide referendum in 2004 to enable him to run for a third term.
The economy is run on command lines. The government orders companies what to produce and at what prices to sell. Private property is outlawed. Key sectors are oil refining, chemicals and machine-building. Russia is the main trading partner.
Belarus is regarded as one of the most difficult ex-Soviet states in which to do business. Most investors are Russian. Minsk and Moscow signed a treaty in 1996 to create a "union state". Little progress has been made on implementing it.
Pretty explosive situation imo: a hardliner tampering with election results, locking up opposition members and now even hammering down on the protestors.
I wonder how this is gonna go: a second revolution like in Ukraine or - worst case scenario - like on the Tian An Men square in Beijing...
MINSK, Belarus (CNN) -- Western leaders have agreed to impose restrictive measures on the Belarussian government as they condemned a crackdown against opposition protesters in Minsk.
But while Friday's forced removal by police of about 200 demonstrators from the center of the capital Minsk sparked criticism by the European Union and United States, Russia accused an international security organization of instigating tensions during the election campaign.
The demonstrators, led by a political opposition that plans to hold a mass rally on Saturday, want a re-run of the election that gave President Alexander Lukashenko five more years in power. The opposition says the poll was rigged.
In a declaration at the end of a summit in Brussels on Friday, all 25 European leaders agreed, declaring the March 19 presidential vote "fundamentally flawed."
Full story
Some background info:
Belarus is a republic with the president elected for five-year terms. The president appoints the government, central bank governor and other officials. Lukashenko changed the constitution via a nationwide referendum in 2004 to enable him to run for a third term.
The economy is run on command lines. The government orders companies what to produce and at what prices to sell. Private property is outlawed. Key sectors are oil refining, chemicals and machine-building. Russia is the main trading partner.
Belarus is regarded as one of the most difficult ex-Soviet states in which to do business. Most investors are Russian. Minsk and Moscow signed a treaty in 1996 to create a "union state". Little progress has been made on implementing it.
Pretty explosive situation imo: a hardliner tampering with election results, locking up opposition members and now even hammering down on the protestors.
I wonder how this is gonna go: a second revolution like in Ukraine or - worst case scenario - like on the Tian An Men square in Beijing...
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