I gather the West doesn't know what it wants of its democracy rehetoric. I read the BBC piece below about the Belarus elections. The comparison with Uganda's is beyong matching - Uganda's even much worse. Yet, the West quickly moved to force Ugandan's opposition to accept the 'NRM Verdict". But look what they are doing to Belarus....! - they nulified the results and are calling for a re-run over flaws which were all visible in Uganda's elections. I have come to conlude that there is a certain amount, level, qaulity of democracy that the West see as OK for the African to achieve - a much lower standard, that is - just to preserve its image if only to show that the West was involved in our democracy at work. Read on....!
The US and EU have condemned elections in Belarus which international monitors say we
re severely flawed.
Official results gave President Alexander Lukashenko 82.6% of the vote.
The White House, which has previously labelled Mr Lukashenko a dictator, says it does not accept the results. The EU says it is likely to impose sanctions.
Mr Lukashenko denounced the stateme
nts as
"foreign pressure", while a key ally - Russia's President Vladimir Putin - sent congratulations.
Main opposition candidate Alexander Milinkevich called for street protests and described Mr Lukashenko as an "illegal, illegitimate president".
Official figures say the election had a turnout of 92.6%. The result gives the president, in power since 1994, a third term in office.
However the OSCE, Europe's main election monitoring body, said there had been harassment and detention of opposition activists, biased media coverage and obstruction of independent monitors.
"The Belarussian election was severely flawed due to arbitrary use of state power and restrictions to basic rights," the OSCE said in a statement.
In the US, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the US was backing opposition calls for a re-run of the election.
"The United States does not accept the results of the election [but they accept Uganda's]," Mr McClellan said.
"The election campaign was conducted in a climate of fear. It included arrests and beatings and fraud [ohh boy...! in Uganda they beat even sitting MPs]."
Austria's Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik, representing Austria's presidency of th
e EU,
said in Brussels that the vote was marred by a "climate of intimidation".
And EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said some sort of action against Belarus - possibly diplomatic sanctions - was now "very likely indeed" [in Uganda's case, the possibility of tripling donor aid is thrice as likely indeed].
Earlier a rival observer mission, from the Russian-led Commonwealth of Independent States, said the election was open and transparent [that is what the EU, Cm'Welth, etc said about U
ganda as
well].
And President Putin told Mr Lukashenko in a message quoted by the Kremlin: "The results of the election demonstrate the confidence of the electorate in your policies [This sounds like the Uganda's NRM and Electoral commission speaking]."
Mr Lukashenko, in a television appearance on Monday, insisted that the poll was fair and democratic and called the complaints about it "absurd".
"Despite
the
unashamed foreign attempts to dictate to us and colossal external pressure, they have failed to break us," he said [daimnnnn...!this guy must be wondering why the West accepted the same thing done by eMu7 but haven't been receptive in his case].
Mr Milinkevich has called for continuing demonstrations, following a protest by about 10,000 people on Sunday [well, well, well... try this in Uganda and they will shot you first while the police will be de-evidencing eveidence].
"In Belarus
, we did
not have an election but an unconstitutional seizure of power," he said in a news conference broadcast across Belarus [our Kizza Besigye said the same thing with no feathers ruffled in the West. At least feathers are flying in Belarus].
"I very much ask all to come out into the square today, in as large numbers as possible. I believe that Belarussians have awakened, overcome fear and can stand up for their future. [if only the NRM could remove the Black Mambas and tear gas truck from City Square as well]"
But
the BBC's Emma Simpson, in Minsk, says there has been no evidence so far of any Ukrainian-style Orange Revolution. [now, this is what we need in Uganda very soon - some very serious gutts]
Mr Lukashenko has warned he will not tolerate any attempt at a "coup" [just a coup..? In Uganda it is called 9/11 terrorism and you will be court martialled. And, the verdict is a given. You'll even wonder why Tumwine needs to go through the "legal formalities" of the CM], while police say protesters "trying to destabilise the situation" will be treated as terrorists and could face the death penalty. [OK, now this sou
nds
familiar]
But our correspondent says that despite his authoritarian regime, Mr Lukashenko has genuine popular support, particularly in rural areas. [..that's what they said about eMu7, too. Poor Lukashenko....! Peace Brother...!!]
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