No Third Term in Office :: Charter'97 :: News

There should be no referenda on the third presidential terms in Europe – this thought was common to all participants of the Russian-Belarusian meeting of politicians and experts, who assembled in Moscow upon the initiative of the Council for exterior and defense policy. It is for the very first time that such a large delegation of Belarusian oppositionists arrived in Moscow.

Most of debates revolved around one topic – Belarusian president’s willingness to hold referendum in fall, thus enabling himself to run for the third presidential term (currently, the Constitution doesn’t allow him to do that). Relations between our countries seriously depend on whether or not Alexander Lukashenko dares undertake such a move.

According to the head of the program “Russia-Belarus”, political expert Vyacheslav Nikonov, everything will depend on whether Lukashenko will determine to use the current calm situation in order to implement his political undertakings.

- Provided the situation remains inert and unchanged, I’m convinced that the Russian leadership will keep to a rather cautious position and won’t rush to formulate any policy for the future. However, if Lukashenko, as many expect him to do, steps up any measures such as referendum on his third presidential term, Russia will have to declare her position on that.

The Belarusian opposition members rest assured that Lukashenko will go for a plebiscite and surely win it:

- You bet, he’ll find ways to disguise the issue on the prolongation of his term in office, - “Izvestia” were told by the deputy head of the Belarusian Popular Front professor Yuri Khodyko.

The chairman of the assembly’s presidium Sergei Karaganov sounded more categorical:

- One can’t tolerate Russia’s support of the regime, which actually leads to the stagnation of the Belarusian economy and degradation of the Belarusian politics.