According to the opinion of the Belarusian elite, at the imminent presidential elections in Belarus a candidate nominated by the establishment and supporting reforms, advocating integration with Russia and ready to rule with “firm hand” could win. This portrait of a potential president was received by the Independent Institute of Social, Economical and Political Research (IISEPR) as a result of survey of leaders of public opinion in May. More than 60 policymakers, mass media leaders, scientists and businessmen were interviewed, with almost the same proportion of representatives of state and independent sector.

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The Chairman of the All-Nation Strike Committee and member of coalition “Free Belarus” Valery Levaneuski was allowed a meeting with his wife for the first time. Levaneuski is imprisoned since May 1. He is accused of insult of the president’s honor and dignity. Investigators consider that Levaneuski printed and disseminated leaflets with the text where public insult of the president is contained, “combined with accusing him of heavy crime”.

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Three deputies of group “Respublika” Valery Fralou, Uladzimir Parfyanovich and Syarhei Skrabets, who announced an indefinite hunger strike yesterday, have spent a night in the parliament in their offices. The officers of presidential security service, who are guarding the building of the parliament since the hunger strike had begun, did not interfere with the intention of the deputies to stay in the parliament. As General Valery Fralou told to the press center of the Charter’97, the night passed quietly, and now deputies started to perform their duties. At 6 a.m. Syarhei Skrabets came to Lida for the meeting with his voters. Uladzimir Parfyanovich and Valery Fralou are in their offices. They feel “pretty well”, as they say. They do not exclude that they would continue hunger strike in their offices in the weekend. The deputies protest against political repressions in the country and come out for the transparency of the process of setting up election committees, broader powers of observers and cancellation of the early voting procedure. They are also calling for the release of former minister, the 12th and 13th Supreme Soviet MP, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Belarus Mikhail Marynich from the KGB pre-trial detention center. The day before parliamentarians made a statement, telling that Lukashenka’s term prolongation is intolerable, and calling his regime a criminal one.

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Deputies of the group “Respublika” Valery Fralou, Uladzimir Parfyanovich and Syarhei Skrabets who went on hunger strike yesterday in their offices in the building of Parliament, have made a statement to the citizens of the country, representatives of world community and deputies of the “chamber of representatives of national assembly”, in which they said that Lukashenka’s term extension is intolerable. “The existing powers are certain that they would rule endlessly. But is the foundation of this regime lies terror, violence and repressions against those who has courage to criticize the authorities,” reads the statement. The deputies told that they are ready to consider the variant of voluntary retirement of Lukashenka from the position of the president of Belarus. In this case they are ready to guarantee to him immunity. The term of proposal expires with the beginning of the constitutional referendum procedure. Since that time, the MPs told, “Lukashenka would not be freed from responsibility to Belarusian people and law even by a supernatural being”. This statement was handed to the representatives of embassies, diplomats accredited in Belarus, with request to inform their governments about it. The text of the statement follows:

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