Chairman of the Belarusian TV-radio company Viktor Chikin filed in resignation today, official reason being poor health condition. But in reality rumors about the soon dismissal of the leader of the Communist Party have been circulated long ago. Evil tongues said that Lukashenko was displeased with Chikin’s relative passiveness in strengthening state ideology at BT ahead of the ballot. Yesterday Lukashenko paid a visit to “Belarusfilm” and so strongly scrutinized the work of the state TV that it finally got clear: Viktor Chikin will be at the post no more.

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Last Saturday activists of the youth resistance movement ZUBR launched a campaign under title “Dacha visitors are also humans”. In overcrowded diesel trains, apart from ordinary babushkas selling crosswords and anecdotes, there showed up energetic young fellows in ZUBR T-shirts and words “Time to choose!”, who disseminated “Nasha Svaboda” special issues.

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Implementation of a “popular referendum” on the formation of a single union state of Russia and Belarus will take place in autumn 2001, following the announcement of outcomes of the presidential elections, said Duma Speaker Gennady Seleznev, answering Interfax questions in the Petersburg airport “Pulkovo” on Tuesday. Wonder what this strange man hopes for in autumn?

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“Recently I suffered a tragedy at the Belarusian-Polish border and badly need mass media help, so that the arbitrariness and lawlessness, which I witnessed, weren’t left unpunished. I’ve got a brain tumor. On my way to Poland, where I headed for surgery, the Belarusian customs confiscated my money for operation. I’m losing eyesight every day and will stand justice soon,” – such a heartbreaking letter was mailed to Charter’97 press-center by Russian national Elena Valeryevna Voinova.

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Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma “completely” excludes the possibility of his country’s entering Belarus-Russia union. “We didn’t win independence in order to waste it again,” – declared Ukrainian leader, answering journalists’ questions.

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The law-enforcers detained and placed in Brest pre-trial ward an officer of the Brest customs group N. According to unverified information he raped a woman right in the train’s compartment, when checking her stuff at the “Brest Central” border and robbed her. Data on the incident never appeared in police rapports. The law-enforcers were ordered to keep mouths shut and not let out the officer’s name, reports BelaPAN.

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Alarm over low level of social protection of medics was expressed by the chair of the Belarusian committee for healthcare trade unions Elena Belskaya during a June 12 press-conference. She claims that with average salary in industry amounting to 1000 rubles per hour, in medicine it is twice less – 521.

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A source in the Belarusian procuracy reports that the legal action, launched against the “Nasha Svaboda” newspaper on charges of defaming the president, was dismissed due to the “absence of corpus delicti”. In other words, the state procuracy agreed with the accuracy of Alexander Lukashenko’s diagnosis, published in “Nasha Svaboda” by Dr.Schigelsky.

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“Following our team’s victory in the ballot we will ensure calm atmosphere in the society, the necessary staff stability and succession in state institutions with unconditional respect for professionalism and experience of every honest director, state servant and employee,” – appealed five potential nominees for the presidency from opposition to the heads of regional, town and district executive commissions.

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Although presidents are elected by all of the nation, the public opinion before the elections is mostly formed by the elite: chiefs of state structures, leading private businesses, policy-makers, analysts, entrepreneurs, workers of art and culture… Their opinion is respected by people. NISEPI surveyed the public opinion leaders and experts, equally representing state and non-state structures.

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A group of deputies of the “house of representatives” released a statement in which they require to free from custody former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic. BELTA correspondent was informed in the press-service of the “lower chamber” that the legislators call upon the progressive forces of the world community to actively engage in the motion “Freedom to Slobodan Milosevic”.

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Three out of five potential candidates for the presidency Syamon Domash, Pavel Kozlovsky and Sergei Kalyakin submitted to the Central Electoral Committee the lists of their initiative groups. Syamon Domash’s group involves 3756 individuals, Sergei Kalyakin’s – over 2 thousand. In the near future the registration documents can also be filed in by the well-known BPF CCD leader Zyanon Poznyak, presently in exile in the States. Provided his group successfully passes registration, he will return to his homeland pretty soon.

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Brest region authorities came up with a move to uphold Lukashenko at the forthcoming presidential elections. The motion was initiated by the state. BelaPAN says that at present they are about to register the concomitant coordination council. Meantime, the authorities will also grant registration certificates to the public amalgamation, which can be joined by any Brest resident, willing to re-elect Lukashenko for another term. According to unofficial information, this amalgamation intends to initiate popular referendum, which would extend Lukashenko’s presidential mandate.

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“Last year we exceeded the level of the pre-crisis 1990 year (most effective in terms of Soviet economy growth) as to the volumes of industrial production…” – declared Lukashenko before the second All-Belarusian national assembly. However, this is just not true. In electricity production we descended to the level of 1975, whereas in manufacture of tractors and cars we are back to 50ies at the very best.

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After his visit to “Belarusfilm” Lukashenko declared that collaboration with television must save Belarusian cinematographer. He accentuated its role as of state propagandist and agitator, because “cinematographer is of paramount importance to the formation of state ideology”. So the government will keep funding the cinema. Lukashenko also informed the cinema workers that Minsk television company will shortly launch second national channel.

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Russian Duma Speaker Gennady Seleznev considers premature Alexander Lukashenko’s proposal to head the “union parliament” of Russia and Belarus, Seleznev told Saint-Petersburg press today. “Time has not yet come to discuss it. There are no proper laws and a constitutional act, there has been no referendum and there is no professional parliament,” – underscored the Duma Speaker. He added that the referendum on the union state development would not take place until after the presidential elections in Belarus.

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More than 41% of workers of the Mogilev industrial enterprises won’t give their votes for Alexander Lukashenko, testify the results of the opinion poll, conducted in the first quarter of 2001 by the local sociological center of the Mogilev region council.

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