Exit polls give president 80 percent plus (Belarus)

[ButterflyBlood]

Two Belarusian exit polling organizations said initial surveys gave incumbent Alexander Lukashenko more than 80 percent of the votes cast in Belarus' elections Sunday. The findings are certain to be challenged by the opposition.

The head of a group called ECOOM, Sergei Musiyenko, said that as of two hours after polls opened, surveys indicated Lukashenko had 82.9 percent of the vote and the main opposition candidate, Alexander Milinkevich, just 2.2 percent.

<...>

The results are likely to fuel opposition claims of fraud in the vote in the ex-Soviet republic, where Lukashenko has boosted his powers and extended his time in office through elections and plebiscites seen by his opponents and Western critics as illegitimate.

Exit polls that sharply contradicted official results were key catalysts for protesters in the Rose and Orange Revolutions that helped bring opposition figures to power in Georgia and Ukraine in 2003 and 2004.

http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/03/19/belarus.exitpolls.ap/index.html

You think he could've at least rigged the election to get results that looked SOMEHWAT realistic. I only hope that the backlash over this brings about the fall of the regime.

[Warren Stupidity]

1. I'm missing the part where this indicates fraud.

"The head of a group called ECOOM, Sergei Musiyenko, said that as of two hours after polls opened, surveys indicated Lukashenko had 82.9 percent of the vote and the main opposition candidate, Alexander Milinkevich, just 2.2 percent."

The exit poll data is confirming the vote, not confirming fraud.

"Exit polls that sharply contradicted official results were key catalysts for protesters in the Rose and Orange Revolutions that helped bring opposition figures to power in Georgia and Ukraine in 2003 and 2004."

This appears to be the exact opposite situation.

It probably didn't help that the leading opposition candidate was getting funded by the US government. Can you imagine if Kerry was getting funding from China?

[ButterflyBlood]

4. I still doubt he'd get 2%

or that Dumbass would win with over 80% on that.

These results might be a little more believable if they didn't happen in a country where all media has been censored except for government-propaganda outlets and most opposition journalists are now in jail.

[Warren Stupidity]

6. That may be true.

My only point is that unlike Ukraine, the exit polling here appears to confirm the vote count. From what I have read there are other good reasons why the regime might be legitimately winning in a huge landslide. But I agree that any election with an 80% count for one side has to be considered peculiar.

[bemildred]

2. It is my impression that Mr. Lukashenko has feathered his nest

by defending his nations economy from foreign exploitation, thus giving his people a sense of "economic security", if I remember it correctly. What a novel idea for winning elections.

[ButterflyBlood]

3. Shutting down every independent media outlet in the country helps too

And imprisoning the journalists for opposition newspapers.

That kind of screams "dictatorship" to me, which typically don't have fair elections.

[bemildred]

5. I expect he is more the "managed democracy" type.

Like Pooty-Poot or China or the USA.

[bemildred]

7. Election Intrigue in Belarus

The efforts of Western powers to overthrow Belarus’ Lukashenko government will culminate in rallies planned for Sunday night in Minsk to protest the outcome of the presidential election Lukashenko is sure to win, not because the election will be rigged, but because Lukashenko is by far the most popular candidate.

Polls carried out as recently as last month, paid for by the International Republican Institute, the US taxpayer funded foreign policy arm of the Republican Party, show that support for the US-backed candidate, Aleksandr Milinkevich is “in the single digits,” (1) while over half of voters back Lukashenko.

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Why does the West want Lukashenko to go? For the same reason Belarus’ voters want him to stay. The economy.

Roughly 80 percent of Belarus’ industry remains in state hands, the government “pursues a policy of pervasive state involvement in the economy,” resists privatization, hinders foreign investment, and follows “active policies of important suppression and export promotion.” (10)

http://gowans.blogspot.com/2006/03/election-intrigue-in-belarus.html

[Tiggeroshii]

8. Lukashenko has lots of support in the Countryside

But, Milinkevich getting only 2.2 percent is suspicious, IMHO.

[bemildred]

9. Well, I doubt Mr. Lukashenko would leave such matters to chance.

It's not enough to win, you want to kick your opponents in the nuts.

[RDU Socialist]

10. It's not hard to get 82.9% of the vote

when the opposition is imprisoned, and people are absolutely worried that voting for someone other than Lukashenko will send you to prison if you vote for the other guy.

This guy is a Stalinist in every sense of the word.

Tom Lantos gave a great speech in Congress about two weeks ago on this guy.