MINSK, Oct 17
(AFP)
Dozens of people were hurt in clashes between opposition supporters and police here Sunday during a demonstration against President Alexander Lukashenko, witnesses and reports said.
Police baton-charged demonstrators to stop them getting to the presidential palace in central Minsk.
One opposition party, the Belarussian Popular Front, said at least 50 demonstrators had been arrested.
Russian news agencies reported several injuries among the demonstrators. Belarus state television said 47 police were injured, with four kept in hospital.
The incidents occurred following an authorised protest some distance from Minsk city centre, in which about 20,000 people took part, an AFP correspondent at the scene said.
After the first demonstration, about 5,000 mainly young protesters began an unauthorised march towards the presidential palace in the city�s centre.
Riot police halted the demonstrators about one kilometre (0.6 miles) from the palace.
Demonstrators pulled up paving stones to throw at the police, who responded by charging with batons.
Several ambulances were seen leaving the scene. Explosions were also heard, but the cause was unclear.
Several demonstrators jumped into the river Svislotch to escape the police.
During the earlier march, opposition supporters protested the authoritarian rule of Lukashenko, whom they called a dictator. They also condemned plans for a union between Russia and Belarus.
Demonstrators said Lukashenko had �sold� Belarus to Russia and was threatening the independence of the country, gained with the breakup of the Soviet union in 1991.
The protestors chanted �Belarus in Europe without Lukashenko� and �Lukashenko is a thief.�
They also demanded news of three opposition leaders who had recently disappeared.
Under the Lukashenko, who misses the bygone Soviet era, Belarus has become isolated internationally. He appears bent on reunification with Russia.
After organising a referendum in 1996, Lukashenko dissolved parliament and set up a new body dominated by his supporters. The referendum gave Lukashenko new powers and allowed him to prolong his presidency until 2001.
Opposition parties say the referendum was not valid. They maintain the president�s mandate expired last July 20.
If electors are not treated, who will vote?
The election held on October 10 is still paid attention to by the Kazakh Service of Radio �Liberty�. The chief of the program �People and the market� visited one of the election districts of Almaty and saw infringements while calculating votes with his own eyes. What will the new Parliament bring to the population? The condition of the social sphere, especially in health field, shows that there is nothing to further economise.
The election to the Parliament and Maslikhats held in Kazakhstan seems to multiply political literacy of the electorate. In some districts 15 to 16 candidates strove for the only sit in the Parliament. However, it seems prognoses regarding non-democracy of the election have justified. A correspondent of Radio �Liberty� observed this at one of the election districts. While calculating votes at the district No. 29 (the Alatau election circuit No. 65, Almaty) the election commission infringed 5 to 6 requirements of the law at once. Bulletins from the additional ballot-box were not calculated separately. These bulletins were mixed with bulletins from the main ballot-box. Separate bulletins, piled according the number of candidates and parties, were not showed for control.
A correspondent of Radio �Liberty� asked the election commission, what bulletins were in separate piles. However, due to this question an observer from �Otan� became extremely anxious. He said that it was forbidden to show bulletins to journalists. The chairman of the election commission Mr. Baltabekov said: �It is not a market, write this in your newspaper, we have no time to show.� These events are confirmed for Radio �Liberty� by observers Abdushukyr Rozakanov and Rayup Abakriev.
Though 5 to 6 days have passed since the election, the Central Election Commission has not published the election results. Sixty-seven hours were insufficient to calculate results of the fight for 67 Parliamentary sits. According to the famous political Figure Pyotr Svoik, the US embassy notified the Central Election Commission that it would express its reaction after the complete results were published. This demand nonplussed the Central Election Commission. If they publish the detailed poll results, non-elected deputies will refute official data with their facts. The leader of �Azamat� party Pyotr Svoik said the election had been democratic and nobody had pressed electors. That day he considered himself a deputy of the Parliament and was congratulated by his friends too early.
On October 24 the second round of the election will be held. There are a lot of prognoses that the number of infringements of the election legislation will be not less on this day. It is not difficult to predict what the new Parliament will be. Let�s see how deputies will keep their different promises given to the population. Before this election campaign even debts towards pensions and salaries were not paid off. Hence, the state has no money even for an eye-wash. Healthcare is the weakest of the social spheres. Nurlan Balgimbaev tried to open hospitals closed by Akezhan Kazhegeldin, but medicine trade has become more profitable than the sale of gold is. What will we remember of Kasymzhomart Tokaev�s government? New reorganisations in the governmental structure are alike routine replacements. In stead of concrete deeds, ministries and agencies are getting unlimitedly prosperous or closed.
On October 14 a meeting of ambulance workers was held in Almaty. Ambulance asked for an urgent help by the state. Financing of this branch has reduced by 40 percent. A half of ambulance car is obsolete. Salary is miserable. �Under these conditions the quality of our work abruptly fell. People�s life depends on us,� doctors say. For the first half of a year 3 million of Kazakhstan people applied to the ambulance.
On October 15 one more meeting devoted to medicine was held in Almaty. People at this meeting said about money unreasonably wasted at health institutions. The essence is the overuse of power. In the last year 70 million of dollars were paid for public utilities by the Kazakhstan healthcare system. This is one-fourth of the total amount given to medicine from the budget. According to European Council experts, overuse of power is caused by obsolete equipment. Light, heating, and ventilation systems do not meet the current requirements. In some places this equipment was not renewed for 15 years. Colossal money is being transformed to wind and ash, instead of to protect better heath. The experiment in one of the Almaty hospitals showed, usage of up-to-date technologies reduces annual expenses by 20%.
Despite difficult situation, there are some institutions, healthcare in which cannot be postponed. One of these institutions is the Catastrophe Medicine Centre. This Centre exists for 5 years. The importance of this service established according to the world�s practice can hardly be overestimated. �For these 5 years we have done a lot, the director of the Centre, professor Kitepas Sharipov says. � We established close contacts with our colleagues from USA, France, Germany and Scandinavian states. According to the purpose program, different subdivisions were established in Eastern Kazakhstan, Aktyubinsk, Karagandy, Northern Kazakhstan and Southern Kazakhstan regions. Subdivisions were trained in different parts of Kazakhstan.�
According to Professor Kaitpas Sharipov, some regional Akims are still carelessly treated catastrophe medicine. The mobilisation reserve required in case of extraordinary situations has reduced by 40 to 60%. Of course, it is time to sound the alarm.
What can the new government do?
Opinions of the common Kazakhs
A KSRL correspondent polled Kazakh citizens of the new capital (we remind you, KSRL broadcasts only in the state language of the country, as all other bureau of Radio �Liberty�). What is the opinion of common people regarding the new government? Do the believe it, or have they lost their trust? Read the material on the poll of the Kazakh Service.
Will the new government along with the new PM lead the country out of crisis? We asked this question to the common people in Astana. Some of them hope that the new Prime Minister will be better than previous ones and will bring positive changes to the population.
- In comparison with the previous PMs he is hardly trustworthy.
- Probably, we should trust him.
- Until the government is not completely formed, establishment of new ministries and agencies and liquidation of some old ones � all this requires a lot of money. That is why for the time being I do not know.
- We don�t trust, why should we?
At the same time most representatives of the electorate deceived with the authorities� idle promises do not wish to believe in the new government.
- I don�t believe. All people are the same, what is the difference who came? What will change if some people went, other come to power? The same situation was before, when the tsar is overthrown, another comes, but the life of the common people does not change. The same thing is at present. Maybe, the population will raise a revolution, then only we may wait for some positive changes.
- Frankly speaking, I do not believe, as for the time being there is no absolute democracy in the country.
- The former authorities thieved, and the new one will do the same. It is not a surprise.
- I do not know the new Prime Minister. He is praised everywhere, for example at TV. We did not believe in the old government. That is why we cannot believe in the present one. The former government narrowed social privileges, reduced the budget. What good may we say about it? But the new government has not showed its work, what can we say about it? The authorities say our state is democratic. But for the time being we do not have real democracy.
16.10.99
People who have burnt themselves with milk, are blowing on water
Well, the composition of the new government has been approved. Despite different prognoses, Kasymzhomart Tokaev, the ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs, was appointed the Prime Minister. There are almost no businessmen in the new government. According to the President, a number of qualified economists-industrials were included in the government. The future will show what they will be able to do? For the time being we propose the Reader a material by a KSRL journalist, where he shares his opinion regarding the new and the old members of the government.
In the last week the new Prime Minister was appointed and composition of the new government was approved. This was unexpected by the Kazakhstan society. On October 1 the President stated he had ratified Balgimbaev�s application on resignation. The President said the new PM would be approved by the new government.
Nazarbaev: �The Prime Minister has 3 deputies. In order the work of the government not to stop, all ministers are to continue to fulfil their responsibilities until the new Prime Minister and new government are approved. I entitled deputies to fulfil their responsibilities. Further a final decision will be taken. We need to think and to decide.�
Taking into consideration that the new Parliament will hold its meeting only in December, the new government is to be approved in two months. Probably, the President being concerned that the old government will hardly do a lot, hurried to approve new Ministers. This is proved by an extraordinary meeting of both Parliament Houses, which was held to approve the new PM and the main banker of the country. The decision to appoint Tokaev the Prime Minister and Marchenko � the head of the NB was a great surprise for many people, as on October 1 the President had announced Tokaev was the acting Prime Minister, and that the final candidature would be approved by the new Parliament.
These words of the President may be interpreted as follows: Tokaev is not the only applicant for the post of the PM. People discussed the speaker of Parliament Marat Ospanov, the head of the President�s administration Kalmurzaev, and the regional Akim Danial Akhmetov and others might be the Prime Minister. Possibly, real PMs are among representatives of the opposition, that is why it was difficult for the President to appoint the head of the government from his environment. We may just be surprised that a man who though worked in the three last governments, but does not have any experience in economic, was appointed to the post. Nevertheless, the President introduced Tokaev and Marchenko as clear persons distant from business.
Nazarbaev: They are not supported by any financial groups. They both are clear as citizens of our country. I am sure this is quite a necessary feature at present.
Taking this into consideration, according to a Kazakh proverb, people who have burnt themselves with milk are blowing on water.
Probably, the President was disappointed with the work of Balgimbaev�s ministers (e.g. of ministers-businessmen Nurlan Kapparov, Yerkin Kaliev, Mukhtar Ablyazov, Uraz Dzhandosov, Serik Burkitbaev and Kadyrzhan Damitov). Kapparov and Ablyazov have �Astana-Holding�. Dzhandosov, Kakimzhanov, Mynbaev and Damitov have �Kazcommertsbank�. Burkitbaev is the owner of all telecommunication companies. His predecessor Kaliev had to leave the post of minister, as he had been caught in care of his company �Glotur�. This is known not only by the President, but also by every second person. It occurs that the President made a serious mistake when during reforms in 1995 he said he hoped for Kazakhstan young bourgeoisie. Most probably, the presidents realises this mistake quite well. Maybe, due to this there almost no persons come from private business in the government.
According to Balgimbaev, Dzhandosov, Burkitbaev and Ablyzov will not joint the opposition. It is possible to say they are still in the President�s reserve as business men. Damitov was appointed the President�s advisor. This is not my personal conclusion, as these ex-ministers have been officially registered in the President�s reserve. Who knows, maybe somebody of the new ministers will not be able to justify the trust and will be exposed as a thief. In the President�s opinion, the appointed ministers are experienced economists-producers, e.g. Marchenko, Yesenbaev and Akhmetov.
Nazarbaev: The new PM will have a powerful economic block - Marchenko, Yesenbaev, Pavlov, Kakimzhanov. They are people who will professionally decide. They are significantly experienced in both life and production.
Now it is not a secrete that Balgimbaev�s government was appointed to hold the pre-time presidential election. We may say Balgimbaev has fulfilled this mission. Who will think about the population�s needs?
17.10.99
All Over the Globe is published by IPA House.
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