Belarusian referendum, 1996

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A seven-question referendum was held in Belarus on 24 November 1996. [1] Four questions were put forward by President Alexander Lukashenko on changing the date of the country's independence day, amending the constitution, changing laws on the sale of land and the abolition of the death penalty. The Supreme Council put forward three questions on constitutional amendments by the Communist and Agrarian factions, local elections and the national finances. [2]

Belarus country in Eastern Europe

Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, formerly known by its Russian name Byelorussia or Belorussia, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe bordered by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital and most populous city is Minsk. Over 40% of its 207,600 square kilometres (80,200 sq mi) is forested. Its major economic sectors are service industries and manufacturing. Until the 20th century, different states at various times controlled the lands of modern-day Belarus, including the Principality of Polotsk, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Russian Empire.

President of Belarus head of state of Belarus

The President of the Republic of Belarus is the head of state of Belarus. The office was created in 1994 with the passing of the Constitution of Belarus by the Supreme Soviet. This replaced the office of Chairman of the Supreme Soviet as the head of state. The tasks of the president include executing foreign and domestic policy, defending the rights and general welfare of citizens and residents, and upholding the Constitution. The president is mandated by the Constitution to serve as a leader in the social affairs of the country and to act as its main representative abroad. The duties, responsibilities and other transitional clauses dealing with the presidency are listed in Chapter Three, Articles 79 through 89, of the Constitution.

Alexander Lukashenko President of Belarus since 20 July 1994

Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko is a Belarusian politician serving as President of Belarus since the office was created on 20 July 1994. Before launching his political career, Lukashenko worked as director of a collective farm (kolkhoz) and spent time with the Soviet Border Troops and the Soviet Army. He was the only deputy to vote against the independence of Belarus from the Soviet Union.

Contents

All of Lukashenko's proposals were approved, namely changing Belarus's national day, amending the constitution, and retaining the death penalty and a ban on land sales. Voter turnout was claimed to be 84.1%. [2] However, the referendum, like its 1995 predecessor, was condemned by international organizations including the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, as falling far short of democratic standards, while others described it as a further consolidation of Lukashenko's dictatorship. [3] [4]

Dictatorship form of autocratic government led by a single individual

A dictatorship is an authoritarian form of government, characterized by a single leader or group of leaders with either no party or a weak party, little mass mobilization, and limited political pluralism. According to other definitions, democracies are regimes in which "those who govern are selected through contested elections"; therefore dictatorships are "not democracies". With the advent of the 19th and 20th centuries, dictatorships and constitutional democracies emerged as the world's two major forms of government, gradually eliminating monarchies, one of the traditional widespread forms of government of the time. Typically, in a dictatorial regime, the leader of the country is identified with the title of dictator, although their formal title may more closely resemble something similar to "leader". A common aspect that characterized dictators is taking advantage of their strong personality, usually by suppressing freedom of thought and speech of the masses, in order to maintain complete political and social supremacy and stability. Dictatorships and totalitarian societies generally employ political propaganda to decrease the influence of proponents of alternative governing systems.

Background

In the summer of 1996 President Lukashenko presented constitutional amendments for approval to the Supreme Soviet. However, the Soviet then produced a counterproposal, one provision of which would abolish the position of President. The ensuing power struggle escalated quickly, leading to intervention by Russian officials to try and negotiate a compromise that included declaring that the referendum would not be binding. [5]

Results

Question I: Independence Day

Voters were asked whether Independence Day (Republic Day) should be moved to 3 July, the day of liberation of Belarus from Nazi Germany in World War II.

Independence Day (Belarus) national holiday in Belarus on July 3, anniversary of the liberation of Minsk in 1944

Independence Day of the Republic of Belarus is a public holiday, the independence day of Belarus and is celebrated each year on July 3.

World War II 1939–1945 global war

World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. The major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.

ChoiceVotes%
For5,450,83089.4
Against646,70810.6
Invalid/blank votes83,925–
Total6,181,463100
Registered voters/turnout7,346,39784.1
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

Question II: Presidential constitutional amendments

Voters were asked whether they approved of constitutional amendments put forward by President Lukashenko, which dramatically increased the president's power. Among other things, these amendments gave Lukashenko's decrees the force of law, gave him near-total control over the budget and extended his term to 2001.

ChoiceVotes%
For5,175,66488.2
Against689,64211.8
Invalid/blank votes316,157–
Total6,181,463100
Registered voters/turnout7,346,39784.1
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

Question III: Sale of land

Voters were asked whether they approved of the free sale of land. [2]

ChoiceVotes%
For948,75615.6
Against5,123,38684.4
Invalid/blank votes109,321–
Total6,181,463100
Registered voters/turnout7,346,39784.1
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

Question IV: Death penalty abolition

Voters were asked whether they approved of the abolition of the death penalty. [2]

ChoiceVotes%
For1,108,22618.2
Against4,972,53581.8
Invalid/blank votes100,702–
Total6,181,463100
Registered voters/turnout7,346,39784.1
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

Question V: Soviet constitutional amendments

Voters were asked whether they approved of the constitutional amendments put forward by the Supreme Soviet. [2]

ChoiceVotes%
For582,43710.0
Against5,230,76390.0
Invalid/blank votes368,263–
Total6,181,463100
Registered voters/turnout7,346,39784.1
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

Question VI: Local elections

Voters were asked whether they approved of the direct elections to local bodies. [2]

ChoiceVotes%
For1,739,17828.7
Against4,321,86671.3
Invalid/blank votes120,419–
Total6,181,463100
Registered voters/turnout7,346,39784.1
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

Question VII: State financing

Voters were asked whether all state expenses should be part of the national budget. [2]

ChoiceVotes%
For1,989,25232.8
Against4,070,26167.2
Invalid/blank votes121,950–
Total6,181,463100
Registered voters/turnout7,346,39784.1
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

Aftermath

Although Lukashenko and the Supreme Soviet had signed the agreement that the Soviet would have the final decision on whether to adopt the constitutional amendments, Lukashenko broke the agreement. [6] After the constitution was promulgated a new House of Representatives was assembled, with only Lukashenko loyalists admitted. Around sixty members of the Supreme Soviet who rejected the new constitution continued to work in the Soviet, which was recognised as the legitimate parliament by the international community. [2]

Controversy

Due to several violations of electoral norms and Lukashenko's use of the state-owned media, Russia and some other CIS countries were the only members of the OSCE to recognise the results. [6]

The Belarusian Helsinki Committee found that: [7]

  1. The local referendum commissions that should have been formed by local legislative bodies no later than one month before the referendum, were only set up for 5–7 days;
  2. President Lukashenko illegally removed Viktar Hanchar, chairman of the Central Commission for Elections and National Referendums, from office. As a result, the work of the Commission, that was supposed to control the legality of the vote, was paralyzed;
  3. By the time early voting began (9 November), polling stations had not been provided with proposed amendments and additions to the Constitutions, so the citizens did not know what they were voting for;
  4. Voters were illegally called (and in many cases forced) to vote earlier than the actual date of the referendum. As a result, by the day of the referendum, nearly a quarter of voters has already voted;
  5. Ballot papers were printed by the Office of Presidential Affairs of the Republic of Belarus. They were taken to polling stations without passing through the Central Commission for Elections and National Referendums and its regional divisions. There was no accounting for the number of ballots;
  6. The referendum was funded not from the state budget, but from unknown "charitable" contributions, which was illegal. The Central Commission for Elections and National Referendums was completely removed from funding the referendum;
  7. There was agitation and propaganda in favour of the position of president Lukashenko. In some cases the agitation was carried out directly at polling stations;
  8. On the day of the referendum, observers, representatives of political parties and public organizations had obstacles placed in their way in trying to monitoring the voting, they were not allowed to enter the voting stations and were not given information they required;
  9. There were numerous violations of the law at polling stations, such as no booths for secret ballots, no draft amendments and additions to the Constitution, voters were allowed to vote without presenting identification documents, seals on ballot boxes have been damaged, evidence of forgery of voter signatures have been found.

The opposition also spoke of rigging of the referendum. According to Siarhiej Kaliakin, head of the Eurocommunist faction of the parliament, 20 to 50 percent of the votes counted have been falsified. [8] Syamyon Sharetski, speaker of parliament, called the 1996 referendum "a farce and violence against the people" and said that "the outcome of such a plebiscite could not be accepted either in Belarus nor by the international community". [9] The opposition did not recognise the results of the, not those of the previous referendum held in 1995. [10] The oppositional Conservative Christian Party calls for a return to the Constitution of 1994. [11] Alena Skryhan, the deputy head of Communist fraction of the Parliament in 1996 said that the referendum had led to monopolization of all branches of power by president Lukashenko. [12] Since then, various Belarusian opposition figures and former officials have criticized the referendum, with former Minister of Labour, Aliaksandr Sasnou, calling it a "coup". [13]

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References

  1. ↑ Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p252 ISBN   978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Nohlen & Stöver, p256
  3. ↑ Why Does The “Last Dictatorship In Europe” Hold Elections? Belarus Digest, 26 March 2012
  4. ↑ Profile: Europe's last dictator? BBC News, 10 September 2001
  5. ↑ Nohlen & Stöver, p236
  6. 1 2 Nohlen & Stöver, p237
  7. ↑ Referendum 96 (Opinion of the Opposition): numbers, judgments, law. The Belarusian Helsinki Committee, Minsk, 1996
  8. ↑ Народная воля, № 109; Свабода, 1996, нумар ад 29 лiстапада
  9. ↑ Свабода. 1996, нумар ад 26 лiстапада
  10. ↑ Ці адпавядаў рэфэрэндум 14 траўня 1995 году Канстытуцыі і законам? - Was the Referendum of 1995 held according to the Constitution and laws? - analysis by Siarhiej Navumchyk, former member of parliament; Круглы стол “Рэфэрэндум 1995 году – пачатак наступу на беларускую мову й гістарычную памяць” [ permanent dead link ] - The referendum of 1995: the begin of an attack against the Belarusian language and historical memory, a roundtable held by the Partyja BNF
  11. ↑ Conservative Christian Party official programme Archived September 15, 2009, at the Wayback Machine .: Адразу пасьля сканчэньня дыктатуры, адмены ўлады рэжыму і ўступленьне ў дзеяньне беларускай улады, аўтаматычна зноў вяртаецца дзеяньне Канстытуцыі 1994 года і ўсё адмененае і забароненае рэжымам заканадаўства і інстытуты ўлады. Неадкладна вяртаюцца дзяржаўныя сымвалы Беларусі: бел-чырвона-белы сьцяг і гэрб Пагоня. Адмяняюцца вынікі незаконных рэфэрэндумаў 1995 і 1996 гг., узбуджаецца крымінальная справа супраць іх ініцыятараў, распускаецца нелегальны, незаконны «нацыянальны сход». Беларуская мова зноў вяртаецца на дзяржаўны пасад, а пазачыняныя рэжымам беларускія школы тут жа і неадкладна адновяць свой беларускі статус. Будуць зачыненыя ўсе фашыстоўскія і антыбеларускія антыдзяржаўныя арганізацыі. Пра гэта павінны быць прынятыя адпаведныя заканадаўчыя акты.
  12. ↑ Radio Free Europe Belarusian Edition: 9 Years Ago Lukashenko Changed the Constitution via a Referendum Archived 2011-08-07 at the Wayback Machine .(in Belarusian)
  13. ↑ "Sasnou: I View "Referendum"-1996 As Coup". charter97.org. Retrieved 2015-12-26.

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