New media law, elections in Belarus media coverage

Russia-based newspaper Kommersant suggests that the authorities in Belarus will not be able to create an illusion of democratic elections due to the recently passed media law. Narodnaya Volya newspaper writes about the three oppositions, while Zviazda newspaper counts how many Belarusians are forced to go to elections.

The campaign to elect the members of the House of Representatives kicked off this week in Belarus. Alexander Lukashenka on Tuesday signed a decree, setting the date of the parliamentary elections on September 28. He also ordered Lidzia Yarmoshyna, the chairwoman of the Central Elections Commission, to hold the elections in a democratic way and promised to teach both Russia and the West how elections should be organized.

“We want to demonstrate to the West and Russia how elections should be held. We will make them absolutely democratic so that you get convinced by the real result of people’s support… We wish to hold the elections openly, democratically so that we don’t get reproached and can say: “What else do you need from Belarus, guys?”” the president said in an interview with Komsomlskaya Pravda v Belarusi.

Russian newspaper Kommersant responded to Lukashenka’s statements with the article titled “Belarus Turning towards Europe with Elections”. The newspaper suggested that the Belarusian authorities were making these steps, hoping that the world would recognize at least this kind of elections as legitimate.

“The authorities even refused from an idea to line up the powerful pro-presidential movement Belaya Rus against the united opposition… The head of the state personally delayed the creation of an influential party by postponing the founding congress indefinitely. Nevertheless, it is difficult to create an illusion of political thaw in Belarus, because the start of the electoral race coincided with the passing of the notorious media law. Under the legislation, even a small official can shut down a newspaper, while web sites, not registered in Belarus, will be blocked”, Kommersant wrote.

Web-based newspaper Belaruski Partisan described the new media law as the first nail in the coffin of the future parliament. In the view of Partisan, the Belarusian parliament could not be recognized due to this law.

“The repressive law against media and the rush that the Belarusian authorities deployed to pass it could become the first reason why the West would not recognize the results of the upcoming parliamentary elections”.

Narodnaya Volya newspaper noted that the date of elections coincided with the period when wild geese start flying to the South. The newspaper decided to explore the state of the Belarusian opposition and found out there was no accord as usual.

“Democrats have different policies. The united pro-democracy forces participate with the list of 110 nominees. The European Coalition nominates their candidates. Sannikov and Co boycott the vote”, Narodnaya Volya wrote on the first page on Friday. It means that the United Pro-Democracy Forces (UDF) and the European Coalition have different lists. Uladzimir Navasyad, one of the leaders of the European Coalition, told the newspaper that the lists of the coalition were approved.

“There are some 70 candidates from all the regions of Belarus. This list comprises the members of the committee to organize the Party of Freedom and Progress, Mikalai Statkevich-led Social Democrats, individual candidates from the unregistered Youth Front (their organization boycotts elections) and entrepreneurs”.

At the same time, Andrei Sannikov and the European Belarus campaign boycott the elections.