COVID-19 and Trump’s indifference helped human rights abusers in 2020
Durov rejects Western funds’ offer to buy 5%-10% of Telegram with $30bn valuation
Belarusian government sees $2bn of withdrawals, issues $580mn worth of bonds in 2020
Lukashenko: I am no enemy of the people
One of Russia’s biggest wood product companies, Segezha could be Sistema’s next IPO
The volume of the Russian National Wealth Fund tops $183.93bn as gold overtakes dollar asset for first time
New Ukrainian VC firm QPDigital aims to invest up to $100 million in digital startups
EBRD investments reach record €11bn in pandemic-struck 2020
FPRI BMB Ukraine: Most Ukrainians are optimistic about 2021 – poll
OUTLOOK 2021 Lithuania
EBRD says loan to Estonia’s controversial Porto Franco project was never disbursed
Estonian premier quits after Tallinn development scandal
Top Centre Party official suspected of corruption in Tallinn real estate scandal
Czech Pirates and Mayors approve final coalition agreement for 2021 elections
OUTLOOK 2021 Czechia
BRICKS & MORTAR: Rosier future beckons for CEE retailers after year of change and disruption
Romanian tech entrepreneurs expand into banking sector
OUTLOOK 2021 Hungary
Hungarian government remains silent after Capitol riots
Storming parliaments: New Europe's greatest hits
World Bank expects modest recovery for Europe and Central Asia in 2021
FDI inflows to CEE down 58% in 1H20 but rebound expected
OUTLOOK 2021 Slovakia
Slovakia to invest €1.2bn in digitisation
BALKAN BLOG: The controversial recipe for building up Albania
Heavy flooding causes chaos in parts of Southeast Europe
Vodafone Albania plans €100mn infrastructure investments after AbCom merger
OUTLOOK 2021 Albania
Kyiv accuses Bosnian President Dodik of lying about icon gifted to Russian foreign minister
Bosnia’s real GDP contracts 6.3% y/y in 3Q20
Sofia-based LAUNCHub Ventures holds first close of new fund on €44mn
ING THINK: Growth in the Balkans: from zero to hero again?
OUTLOOK 2020 Bulgaria
Labour demand down 28% y/y in Croatia in 2020
Zagreb Stock Exchange's Crobex10 index at highest level since March 5
OUTLOOK 2021 Kosovo
Arrera Automobili aims to launch Albania’s first supercar
World Bank revises projection for Moldova’s 2020 GDP decline to 7.2%
Moldova’s PM resigns to prepare the ground for early elections
Socialist lawmakers in Moldova scrap settlement on $1bn bank frauds
Montenegro’s new ruling coalition carves up top state jobs
OUTLOOK 2021 Montenegro
Vast tide of floating waste threatens Balkan hydropower plants
North Macedonia's manufacturing confidence indicator down by 8.5 pp y/y in December
OUTLOOK 2021 North Macedonia
Transparency International warns of high corruption risk in CEE defence sectors
Moldova fears flooding from Ukraine's planned Dniester hydropower plants
Romania’s industrial recovery paused in November
OUTLOOK 2021 Serbia
Slovenia’s government to release funds to news agency STA after EU pressure
UK Moneyhub picks Slovenia for post-Brexit European base
Slovenia’s dire COVID-19 situation in 4Q20 caused second economic dip
Slovenia’s Eligma completes €4mn funding round
Turkish opposition leader lawsuit demands one lira from Erdogan, police probe “bald” interior minister posts
Akbank takes over Istanbul's Palladium Atasehir shopping mall
Armenia’s PM cautions conflict with Azerbaijan “still not settled” after trilateral meeting with Putin
Armenia prepares to ban Turkish imports
COMMENT: Record high debt levels will slow post-coronavirus recovery, threaten some countries' financial stability, says IIF
Russia, Kazakhstan pushing for oil production increases on the back of coronavirus vaccine-fuelled oil price optimism
OUTLOOK 2021 Georgia
Georgia’s political kingpin Bidzina Ivanishvili quits politics
Modern-day “Robin Hood” inspires Georgians drowning in debt
Iran’s navy conducts missile drill while analyst argues Trump even capable of nuclear strike in final days
TEHRAN BLOG: Who’s more credible? Johnson backing Trump’s Nobel chances or Iran applauding arrest warrant for US president?
Central Asia vaccination plans underwhelm, but governments look unruffled
Fears of authoritarianism as Kyrgyz populist wins landslide and backing for ‘Khanstitution’
OUTLOOK 2021 Kyrgyzstan
Mongolia's winter dzud set to be one of most extreme on record says Red Cross
Mongolian coal exports to China paralysed as Beijing demands virus testing of truck drivers
Mongolia fears economic damage as country faces up to its first local transmissions of coronavirus
Mongolia in lockdown after suffering first local coronavirus transmissions
OUTLOOK 2021 Tajikistan
China business briefing: Not happy with Kyrgyzstan
OUTLOOK 2021 Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan: How the Grinch stole New Year
Turkmenistan: The dammed united
COMMENT: Uzbekistan is being transformed, but where are the democratic reforms?
OUTLOOK 2021 Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan’s Makro positions itself for growth in a more competitive market
Download the pdf version
More...
It has been dubbed “the signature revolution” but the hundreds of thousands of signatures Belarus’ opposition figures have gathered that are part of the application process to stand in the presidential elections are being rejected en masse by the authorities.
Would-be candidates had to submit at least 100,000 signatures on petitions supporting their candidacy in the August 9 presidential elections. But incumbent Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has been unsettled by the leading opposition candidates gathering 750,000 names in a country with a population of 9mn in an unprecedented show of defiance.
Seven candidates had their applications accepted, including Lukashenko with over two million signatures, as well as the three main opposition leaders: ex-banker and leading opposition candidate Viktor Babariko, popular blogger Sergey Tikhanovsky, both of whom have been arrested, and former diplomat, businessman and Lukashenko aide Valery Tsepkalo.
Now the process of checking those signatures' validity has begun.
“In Belarus election commissions started checking the validity of signatures given in support of presidential candidates. A commission in Gomel became the first one to announce the results. Well, all signatures for #Babariko and #Tsepkalo were deemed invalid. The rest are fine,” Tadeusz Giczan, a London-based academic that follows Belarus, tweeted.
Babariko has been the most popular of the opposition candidates, having collected a record 425,000 names, and was quickly targeted by the authorities, who arrested him on embezzlement and fraud charges on June 18.
Tsepkalo is still at liberty and has run a more conventional campaign with more muted criticism of the authorities but now as the only leading candidate at liberty has also found himself in the cross-hairs.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs announced it has opened an investigation into Tsepkalo at the weekend for “illegal activities” without giving details, spokeswoman for the ministry Volha Chamadanava told Svaboda.
“In order to conduct an investigation, we and the Prosecutor General's Office received materials from a Turkish citizen about the facts of illegal activities of a citizen Tsepkalo. An inspection is being carried out now,” Volha Chamadanava said.
Tsepkalo's team collected more than 200,000 signatures, and he finally submitted around 160,000. So far the election committees in Gomel, Svetlogorsk and Vitebsk regions have rejected all the signatures for Tsepkalo. Reportedly the Frunzensky district in Minsk has also rejected all 65,000 signatures for Babariko and Tsepkalo.
“Out of almost 400,000 signatures submitted by Lukashenko's main rival Viktor Babariko, more than 100,000 were deemed invalid in just one day without any evidence. At this rate, by the end of the week, I won't be surprised if the number of valid signatures will become negative,” Giczan said.
Observers have been surprised at the blatant effrontery of the CEC’s actions. “It's the first time election commissions are acting so boldly, though. Previously they at least tried to give the impression of a democratic process,” Giczan said.
Lukashenko has been visible shaken by the challenge to his authority. Early this week he promised to make changes to the constitution to reflect the popular demands in the next two years, after his re-election.
The author of the YouTube channel "Country for Life" Sergey Tikhanovsky has already been denied registration by the Central Election Commission before the checking process began on the grounds he was in jail, serving a 15 day sentence following his arrest for disturbing the peace and could not submit documents in person. The blogger's wife Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has taken his place and was one of the seven candidates who successfully submitted 100,000 signatures to the CEC.
Register here to continue reading this article and 5 more for free or purchase 12 months full website access including the bne Magazine for just $250/year.
Register to read the bne monthly magazine for free:
Already registered
Password could contain only a-z0-9\+*?[^]$(){}=!<>|:-_ characters and have 8-20 symbols length.
Please complete your registration by confirming your email address.
A confirmation email has been sent to the email address you provided.
Forgotten password?
Email field can't be empty.
No user with this email address.
Access recovery request has expired, or you are using the wrong recovery token. Please, try again.
Access recover request has expired. Please, try again.
To continue viewing our content you need to complete the registration process.
Please look for an email that was sent to with the subject line "Confirmation bne IntelliNews access". This email will have instructions on how to complete registration process. Please check in your "Junk" folder in case this communication was misdirected in your email system.
If you have any questions please contact us at sales@intellinews.com
Sorry, but you have used all your free articles fro this month for bne IntelliNews. Subscribe to continue reading for only $119 per year.
Your subscription includes:
For the meantime we are also offering a free subscription to bne's digital weekly newspaper to subscribers to the online package.
Click here for more subscription options, including to the print version of our flagship monthly magazine:
More subscription options
Take a trial to our premium daily news service aimed at professional investors that covers the 30 countries of emerging Europe:
Get IntelliNews PRO
For any other enquiries about our products or corporate discounts please contact us at sales@intellinews.com
If you no longer wish to receive our emails, unsubscribe here.
Magazine annual electronic subscription
Magazine annual print subscription
Website & Archive annual subscription
Combined package: web access & magazine print annual subscription