Europe's Last Dictator

Updated!

Belarus has been ruled by Aleksandr Lukashenko since 1994 (#14 in the Top 20). His authoritarian government held presidential 'elections' (sic) on March 19. Predictably, the government's Central Election Commission recorded the vote as strongly in favor of the incumbent. Better than 4 of 5 supposedly supported Mr. Lukashenko (82.6%) while the main opposition candidate, Alexander Milinkevich, received only 6% support. International observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation and the Council of Europe decried the vote as inherently unfair, marred by systematic state intimidation and interference. The Russia government, continuing it's trend of supporting former Soviet-style governments, said the results "must be viewed with respect."

An estimated 10,000 protestors rallied in Oktyabrskaya Square on election night, braving the snow, as Mr. Milinkevich and another opposition candidate, Alexander Kozulin, called for larger protests the next evening (March 20). For his part, Mr. Milinkevich has repeatedly call for the demonstrations to remain peaceful. The opposition is hoping to spur a peaceful populist revolt, like the Rose, Orange, and Tulip Revolutions (in Georgia, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan, respectively), while avoiding a bloody government crackdown like the one in Uzbekistan. Last year, threats of force by the ruling government neutralized the opposition movements in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.

Prior to the election, Mr. Lukashenko warned any protest would be crushed. "I guarantee that an overthrow of the government in our country will not take place," Mr. Lukashenko said. "God forbid (an agitator) should try to do something in our country. We will twist his head off immediately like a duckling's." Mr. Lukashenko had repeatedly issued bellicose warnings before the vote.

Belarus still has a strong affiliation with the Soviet era; the leading state newspaper includes "Soviet" in the title, the government issues 'five-year plans', and state security services are still known as the KGB.

UPDATE: The protest movement in Belarus virtually disappeared last night as sub-zero temperatures drove away all but approximately 150 brave souls. Four top opposition organizers have been arrested, including the second place vote recipient's campaign manager, Anatoly Lebedko.

The OSCE, Europe's main election monitoring body, reported a "severely flawed" election. They claimed widespread harassment of opposition activists and obstruction of independent election monitors. Washington condemned the election while offering support to the opposition. "We applaud democrats in Belarus for their courage and peaceful stand to reclaim their freedom. We support their call for a new election," said White House Press Secretary, Scott McClellan. The Russian-led Commonwealth of Independent States, said the election was open and transparent. "The results of the election demonstrate the confidence of the electorate in your policies," said Russian President Vladimir Putin as he congratulated Mr. Lukashenko on his victory. The Russian idea of democracy is really warped. Never trust an ex-KGB colonel like Putin.