Belarusian referendum, 1996

Belarus

This article is part of the series:
Politics and government of
Belarus

Other countries · Atlas
Politics portal

A seven-question referendum was held in Belarus on 24 November 1996.[1] Four questions were put forward by President Alexander Lukashenko on changing the date of the country's independence day, amending the constitution, changing laws on the sale of land and the abolition of the death penalty. The Supreme Council put forward three questions on constitutional amendments by the Communist and Agrarian factions, local elections and the national finances.[2]

Only two of the proposals, changing the date of independence day and Lukashenko's constitutional amendments, were approved. Voter turnout was 84.1%.[2]

Contents

Background

In the summer of 1996 President Lukashenko presented constitutional amendments for approval to the Supreme Soviet. However, the Soviet then produced a counterproposal, one provision of which would abolish the position of President. The ensuing power struggle escalated quickly, leading to intervention by Russian officials to try and negotiate a compromise that included declaring that the referendum would not be binding.[3]

Results

Question I: Independence Day

Voters were asked whether Independence Day (Republic Day) should be moved to 3 July, the day of liberation of Belarus from Nazi Germany in World War II.

Choice Votes %
For 5,450,830 89.4
Against 646,708 10.6
Invalid/blank votes 83,925 –
Total 6,181,463 100
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

Question II: Presidential constitutional amendments

Voters were asked whether they approved of constitutional amendments put forward by President Lukashenko

Choice Votes %
For 5,175,664 88.2
Against 689,642 11.8
Invalid/blank votes 316,157 –
Total 6,181,463 100
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

Question III: Sale of land

Voters were asked whether they approved of the free sale of land.[2]

Choice Votes %
For 948,756 15.6
Against 5,123,386 84.4
Invalid/blank votes 109,321 –
Total 6,181,463 100
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

Question IV: Death penalty abolition

Voters were asked whether they approved of the abolition of the death penalty.[2]

Choice Votes %
For 1,108,226 18.2
Against 4,972,535 81.8
Invalid/blank votes 100,702 –
Total 6,181,463 100
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

Question V: Soviet constitutional amendments

Voters were asked whether they approved of the constitutional amendments put foward by the Supreme Soviet.[2]

Choice Votes %
For 582,437 10.0
Against 5,230,763 90.0
Invalid/blank votes 368,263 –
Total 6,181,463 100
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

Question VI: Local elections

Voters were asked whether they approved of the direct elections to local bodies.[2]

Choice Votes %
For 1,739,178 28.7
Against 4,321,866 71.3
Invalid/blank votes 120,419 –
Total 6,181,463 100
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

Question VII: State financing

Voters were asked whether all state expenses should be part of the national budget.[2]

Choice Votes %
For 1,989,252 32.8
Against 4,070,261 67.2
Invalid/blank votes 121,950 –
Total 6,181,463 100
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

Aftermath

Although Lukashenko and the Supreme Soviet had signed the agreement that the Soviet would have the final decision on whether to adopt the constitutional amendments, Lukashenko broke the agreement.[4] After the constitution was promulgated a new House of Representatives was assembled, with only Lukashenko loyalists admitted. Around sixty members of the Supreme Soviet who rejected the new constitution continued to work in the Soviet, which was recognised as the legitimate parliamenty by the international community.[2]

Controversy

Due to several violations of electoral norms and Lukashenko's use of the state-owned media, Russia and some other CIS countries were the only members of the OCSE to recognise the results.[4]

The Belarusian Helsinki Committee found that:[5]:

  1. The local referendum commissions that should have been formed by local legislative bodies no later than one month before the referendu, were only set up for 5–7 days;
  2. President Lukashenko illegally removed Viktar Hanchar, chairman of the Central Commission for Elections and National Referendums, from office. As a result, the work of the Commission, that was supposed to control the legality of the vote, was paralyzed;
  3. By the time early voting began (9 November), polling stations had not been provided with proposed amendments and additions to the Constitutions, so the citizens did not know what they were voting for;
  4. Voters were illegally called (and in many cases forced) to vote earlier than the actual date of the referendum. As a result, by the day of the referendum, nearly a quarter of voters has already voted;
  5. Ballot papers were printed by the Office of Presidential Affairs of the Republic of Belarus. They were taken to polling stations without passing through the Central Commission for Elections and National Referendums and its regional divisions. There was no accounting for the number of ballots;
  6. The referendum was funded not from the state budget, but from unknown "charitable" contributions, which was illegal. The Central Commission for Elections and National Referendums was completely removed from funding the referendum;
  7. There was agitation and propaganda in favour of the position of president Lukashenko. In some cases the agitation was carried out directly at polling stations;
  8. On the day of the referendum, observers, representatives of political parties and public organizations had obstacles placed in their way in trying to monitoring the voting, they were not allowed to enter the voting stations and were not given information they required;
  9. There were numerous violations of the law at polling stations, such as no booths for secret ballots, no draft amendments and additions to the Constitution, voters were allowed to vote without presenting identification documents, seals on ballot boxes have been damaged, evidence of forgery of voter signatures have been found.

The opposition also spoke of rigging of the referendum. According to Siarhiej Kaliakin, head of the Communist faction of the parliament, 20 to 50 percent of the votes counted have been falsified.[6] Siamion Sharetski, speaker of parliament, called the 1996 referendum "a farce and violence against the people" and said that "the outcome of such a plebiscite could not be accepted either in Belarus nor by the international community".[7] The opposition did not recognise the results of the, not those of the previous referendum held in 1995.[8] The oppositional Conservative Christian Party calls for a return to the Constitution of 1994.[9] Alena Skryhan, the deputy head of Communist fraction of the Parliament in 1996 said that the referendum had led to monopolization of all branches of power by president Lukashenko.[10]

References

  1. ^ Nohlen, D & Stöver, P (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p252 ISBN 9873832956097
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Nohlen & Stöver, p256
  3. ^ Nohlen & Stöver, p236
  4. ^ a b Nohlen & Stöver, p237
  5. ^ Referendum 96 (Opinion of the Opposition): numbers, judgments, law. The Belarusian Helsinki Committee, Minsk, 1996
  6. ^ Народная воля, № 109; Свабода, 1996, нумар ад 29 лiстапада
  7. ^ Свабода. 1996, нумар ад 26 лiстапада
  8. ^ Ці адпавядаў рэфэрэндум 14 траўня 1995 году Канстытуцыі і законам? - Was the Referendum of 1995 held according to the Constitution and laws? - analysis by Siarhiej Navumchyk, former member of parliament; Круглы стол “Рэфэрэндум 1995 году – пачатак наступу на беларускую мову й гістарычную памяць” - The referendum of 1995: the begin of an attack against the Belarusian language and historical memory, a roundtable held by the Partyja BNF
  9. ^ Conservative Christian Party official programme: Адразу пасьля сканчэньня дыктатуры, адмены ўлады рэжыму і ўступленьне ў дзеяньне беларускай улады, аўтаматычна зноў вяртаецца дзеяньне Канстытуцыі 1994 года і ўсё адмененае і забароненае рэжымам заканадаўства і інстытуты ўлады. Неадкладна вяртаюцца дзяржаўныя сымвалы Беларусі: бел-чырвона-белы сьцяг і гэрб Пагоня. Адмяняюцца вынікі незаконных рэфэрэндумаў 1995 і 1996 гг., узбуджаецца крымінальная справа супраць іх ініцыятараў, распускаецца нелегальны, незаконны «нацыянальны сход». Беларуская мова зноў вяртаецца на дзяржаўны пасад, а пазачыняныя рэжымам беларускія школы тут жа і неадкладна адновяць свой беларускі статус. Будуць зачыненыя ўсе фашыстоўскія і антыбеларускія антыдзяржаўныя арганізацыі. Пра гэта павінны быць прынятыя адпаведныя заканадаўчыя акты.
  10. ^ Radio Free Europe Belarusian Edition: 9 Years Ago Lukashenko Changed the Constitution via a Referendum(Belarusian)

External links

Projects of the Constitution

Presidential elections
1994 · 2001 · 2006 · 2010
Parliamentary elections
1937 · 1939 (West Belarus) · 1946 · 1950 · 1954 · 1958 · 1962 · 1966 · 1970 · 1974 · 1979 · 1984 · 1990 · 1995 · 2000 · 2004 · 2008 · 2012
Referendums
1995 · 1996 · 2004