(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Most people in Belarus say having a working House of Representatives is important for the country’s good governance, according to a poll by the Independent Institute for Social, Economic and Political Studies (IISEPS). 65.3 per cent of respondents say Belarus needs the legislature, while 21.4 per cent say the president can organize the country’s life by himself.

Belarus seceded from the Soviet Union in 1991. In 1994, independent candidate Aleksandr Lukashenko won the presidential election, boosted by his popularity after acting as chairman of an anti-corruption parliamentary committee. Lukashenko remains the country’s president to this day.

In March 2006, Lukashenko won the presidential election with 82.6 per cent of the vote. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said the ballot "did not meet the required international standards for free and fair elections" and was "severely flawed due to arbitrary use of state power and restrictions to basic rights."

Belarus held a legislative election on Sept. 28. On Sept. 29, The Central Election Commission said the opposition failed to elect one single representative to the legislature, declaring, "The 99 elected candidates support the current authorities. There is no opponent among them."

Anatoly Lebedko, a member of the opposition United Civic Party, dismissed the electoral process, saying, "There was no election in Belarus. It was an electoral farce for the West. (...) We call on the European Union and the U.S. not to recognize the results of the election."

Polling Data

In your opinion, does Belarus need the House of Representatives, or can the life in Belarus be organized by the president equally well?

Source: Independent Institute for Social, Economic and Political Studies (IISEPS)
Methodology: Interviews with 1,501 Belarusian adults, conducted from Sept. 2 to Sept. 12, 2008. No margin of error was provided.

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