President election 2006 story
Lukashenka??�s re-election in Belarus, with an implausibly large majority, didn??�t spark the kind of oppositional momentum which many had hoped. Belarus, at least for the time being, will not follow in the revolutionary footsteps of the Ukraine and Georgia. A sense of pre-anticipated disappointment among anti-Lukashenka forces both within and outside of Belarus is clear. However, although the events of the last week in Belarus may not have marked the tipping point for the Lukashenka regime, they have marked a turning point in the nature of the Belarusian opposition. Despite a concerted effort by the Belarusian government to destroy, undermine and embarrass the opposition, the ???denim revolutionaries??? have finally begun to emerge as a force to be reckoned with.
The night of the Presidential Elections on March 19 marked the beginning of protests and the largest gathering (of approximately 20,000 people) in Oktyabrskaya (October) Square in Minsk. Following this, young activists set up camp and for four days people came, be it for a couple of hours or a couple of days, to visibly show their solidarity and protest the dubious election results. On the first night approximately 100 people slept in tents in the square, on the last night there were about 500.
The state response to this was a predictable mixture of intimidation and misinformation. More than 100 people, attempting to bring food and hot clothing to the square, were detained. At the same time, the state mass media portrayed the protestors as alcoholics, drug addicts, prostitutes and sexual deviants. On the fourth night with the help of the police ???special forces???, the camp was liquidated. About 500 people were arrested and imprisoned for 10-15 days, sparking international condemnation and (moderate) European sanctions.
People gathered again on the 25 of March to celebrate the Day of Freedom. After a peaceful demonstration in Yanky Kupaly Park, people marched to the jail to support those who had been arrested. The police used force and ???special means??? to stop the demonstrators, many of whom were beaten and taken to prisons. Although the exact number of peopled detained in the week following the elections is unknown, it is estimated to be over 1000 in Minsk.
Two weeks after the elections many perceive the opposition??�s efforts as a failure. However, although the immediate results of the protests were less remarkable than some had wished, few could have realistically hoped for more. The scale and visibility of the protests were unprecedented by Belarusian standards. Protesters described the feeling of solidarity and common purpose within the tents of Oktyabrskaya (October) Square. As Olga, a Belarussian student studying in Poland, who spent several days camping in the square enthusiastically told me ???The atmosphere on the square was really positive. People were very friendly; we were sharing food and supporting each other???.
People went to the streets not only to support Alaiksandr Milinkevich (and to protest against Lukashenka), they were there to show their dissatisfaction with the system in general, to show that they are for Belarus but against ???Za Belarus??? (the slogan used by the state to promote the states notion of a stable and prosperous Belarus). Although the scale of protests were not huge, they were large enough to show a visible, positive alternative to the regime - an embryonic civil society which would not be intimidated by the heavy handed tactics of the state, a civil society which will continue to grow. The lines have been drawn. Through online communities, ???flash-mobs??�, forums and articles, alternative perspectives to the Lukashenka regime will continue to be voiced and the opposition in Belarus will become an increasingly visible and growing force in the Belarusian political scene. After the election, many protestors were optimistically claiming that ???Lukashenka looks scared??�. Perhaps he was and, if not, perhaps he should be.

Olga Yatskevich