UNIVERSITY OF WROCLAW

MASTER IN POLITICAL SCIENCES

METHODOLOGY OF POLITICAL RESEARCH

1ST SEMESTER 2010/2011

Belarus: Elections’10
Two perspective of one reality
André Miguel Lourenço Lameiras
1/26/2011
BELARUS:: ELECTION’10
Contents
Abstract .............................................................................................................................................................. 3

Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................... 3

Hypothesis.......................................................................................................................................................... 4

Methodology...................................................................................................................................................... 4

Results ................................................................................................................................................................ 5

Number of articles ..................................................................................................................................... 5

Analysis of Sources..................................................................................................................................... 5

Analysis of Content .................................................................................................................................... 6

Analysis of the Level of Criticism ............................................................................................................... 6

Público............................................................................................................................................................ 7

Number of articles ..................................................................................................................................... 7

Analysis of Sources..................................................................................................................................... 7

Analysis of Content .................................................................................................................................... 8

Analysis of the Level of Criticism ............................................................................................................... 8

PRAVDA .......................................................................................................................................................... 9

Number of articles ..................................................................................................................................... 9

Analysis of Sources..................................................................................................................................... 9

Analysis of Content .................................................................................................................................. 10

Analysis of the Level of Criticism ............................................................................................................. 10

Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................................ 11

Bibliography ..................................................................................................................................................... 11
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Abstract

On the 19th December 2010, Alexander Lukashenko was re-elected President of Belarus for a fourth term.
The results were not well received among the majority of people and the political opposition that claimed
they were manipulated.

This research is focused on the period between 17 th and 31st December 2010 to try to prove, or deny, the
hypothesis that there wasn’t enough coverage on this subject by the media and also it wasn’t objective,
showing positions for, or against, the political regime of Belarus.

This hypothesis leads us to the premise that the media failed is objective of regulating the political system
and that the importance given to this matter was insufficient, mainly when Lukashenko is considered as
Europe’s last dictator.

This paper is a comparative case study between two online editions of the newspapers: Público, a media
reference in Portugal and Pravda, the Russian newspaper with the best online English edition and the most
complete news archive.

Keywords:

Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, Elections, Manipulation

Introduction

Alexander Lukashenko won the Belarusian Elections for President for the 4th consecutive time with an

expressive 80% of votes.

The opponents of the Regime asked the people to go to the streets and demonstrate against the

manipulation made by the Government to guarantee the re-election of Lukashenko, in power for more

than 16 years already. As consequence, the intervention police not only injured and arrested man and

women, but also the leaders of the opposition, which may stay in jail from 15 weeks to 15 years,

depending on the proofs of the crimes they are accused.

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After these events, the International Community condemned the repression, being Russia the only country

taking a neutral position and affirming that these are “internal issues”. In fact, Russia is still the only ally of

a country that still conserves the Soviet ideology.

In this way, this paper has the aim of showing how newspaper from extreme points of Europe, Portugal

and Russia, treated this case, and if their performance reveal the beliefs of different public opinion.

Hypothesis

This work is based on the comparison of two newspapers from 2 geographically and, in part, ideologically

extreme countries in Europe: Portugal and Russia and the way they covered the Belarus elections.

As it was already mentioned above, the first hypothesis is that the media failed in this case and also that:

 The Portuguese newspaper Público was openly denying President-elected Lukashenko.

 That the Russian Pravda was for the Regime and ignored the extreme violence against the

demonstrators.

Methodology

As Sartori (1991) said comparing is used to control – confirm or inform – if a generalized idea is present in

the cases it is being applied, so the methodological approache used in this essay is the Comparative model

along with a quantitative research analysis of the number of articles, times certain issues were mentioned

and finally the level of criticism, that is to say, if the newspapers were objective or not.

The same procedure will be made first the universal results of the research and secondly for each media

compared.

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Results

Number of articles

UNIVERSE OF Table 1
RESULTS
Number of articles
17-12-2010 to 19-12-
2010
20-12-2010 4
21-12-2010 2
22-12-2010 to 31-12-
2010
Total 6

In Table 1 it is possible to understand the lack of articles about this subject, mainly taking in consideration

that it was mentioned just during the first two days after elections and than completely forgotten.

Analysis of Sources

UNIVERSE OF
RESULTS
Sources
US Russian Belarus AF Inter RIA Press Central Elections Special Bearus
Catherine Ashton
Gov. Gov. Police P fax Novosti Association Comitee ists Gov.
17-12-10 to
19-12-10
20-12-10 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

21-12-10 1 1 1 1
22-12-10 to
31-12-10
1
1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1
Total 2
Table 2

Both newspapers used really limited sources, just not in number, but also in information. In fact there was

just one specialist that made a political analysis of the situation in contrast to all the other official sources

and the news agencies AFP, Interfax and RIA Novosti (table 2)

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Analysis of Content

UNIVERSE OF
RESULTS
Issues
Demonstra Viole Electi Performance of International
tions nce Detentions ons Belarus Community
17-12-2010 to 19-
12-2010
20-12-2010 4 3 3 2 3
21-12-2010 1 1 1 1 1 1
22-12-2010 to 31-
12-2010
2
Total 5 4 4 3 1 4 3
Table 3

In fact, the most mentioned issues on the articles were the demonstrations; violence and detentions,

showing that any of both newspapers closed their eyes to the critical moments after the results were out.

Analysis of the Level of Criticism

UNIVERSE OF
RESULTS
Level of criticism
Against Belarus For Belarus Neutral
17-12-2010 to 19-12-2010
20-12-2010 2 1 1
21-12-2010 1 1
22-12-2010 to 31-12-2010
Total 3 2 1 6
Table 4

Table 4 shows that, however there was a higher number of news about violence, 2 of them were actually in

favor of the official version of the Belarus Government.

At this point, we can affirm that there is a paradox between the approaches against and in favor of

Lukashenko when compared with the results on table 3.

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Público

Number of articles

PÚBLICO
Number of
articles
17-12-2010 to 19-12-
2010
20-12-2010 2
21-12-2010 1
22-12-2010 to 31-12-
2010
Total 3
Table 5

Público reflected the indifference of the mainstream Portuguese public opinion in this topic. In fact there

were no news before the elections, as if it would be a normal election in a democratic country and just

after 2 days it seemed not be relevant anymore, denying all the subsequent events.

Analysis of Sources

PÚBLICO
Sources
Bela
US rus A RIA Press Central
Gov Russia Catherine Polic F Inte Novo Associati Elections Speci Bearu
. n Gov. Ashton e P rfax sti on Comitee alists s Gov.
17-12-2010
to 19-12-
2010
20-12-2010 1 1 1 1
21-12-2010 1 1 1
22-12-2010
to 31-12-
2010
Total 1 1 1 1 2 1 7
Table 6

Analyzing the sources used by Público, it is possible to see that both perspectives were pointed, however

with a western perspective, being the United States Government, the foreigner minister of the EU, Ashton

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and AFP, more relevant for the Portuguese public opinion than the Russian Government and Interfax, a

global news agency from Russia.

Analysis of Content

PÚBLICO
Issues
Demonstrati Violen Elect Performance of International
ons ce Detentions ions Belarus Community
17-12-2010 to 19-
12-2010
20-12-2010 2 2 2 2 2
21-12-2010 1 1 1
22-12-2010 to 31-
12-2010
1
Total 3 3 3 2 2 3
Table 7

It is visible the importance given to the demonstrations, violence and detentions as also to the opinion of

the International Community.

Analysis of the Level of Criticism

PÚBLICO
Level of criticism
Against Belarus For Belarus Neutral
17-12-2010 to 19-12-2010
20-12-2010 2
21-12-2010 1
22-12-2010 to 31-12-2010
Total 3 3
Table 8

In the last table it is clear a pro-west point of view against the idea of a country that is being ruled by an

authoritarian President that still keeps the Soviet ideologies.

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PRAVDA

Number of articles

PRAVDA
Number of articles
17-12-2010 to 19-12-2010
20-12-2010 2
20-12-2010 1
22-12-2010 to 31-12-2010
Total 3
Table 9

Also the Russian didn’t give the deserved coverage of the situation, mainly considering them to be the only

friends of the Regime headed by Alexander Lukaszenko.

Analysis of Sources

PRAVDA
Sources
US A RIA Press Central
Gov Russia Catherin Belarus F Inte Novo Associati Elections Speci Bearu
. n Gov. e Ashton Police P rfax sti on Comitee alists s Gov.
17-12-2010
to 19-12-
2010
20-12-2010 1 1 1 1
21-12-2010 1
22-12-2010
to 31-12-
2010
Total 1 1 1 1 1 5
Table 10

It is clear that “Pravda” didn’t search for the international public opinion criticizing the violence, but the

responsible actors of it and the Central Elections Comitee of Belarus. On the other hand they asked for a

comment from a specialist.

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Analysis of Content

PRAVDA
Issues
Demonstrati Violen Detentio Electio Performance of International
ons ce ns ns Belarus Community
17-12-2010 to 19-
12-2010
20-12-2010 2 1 1 1
21-12-2010 1 1 1
22-12-2010 to 31-
12-2010 0
Total 2 1 1 1 1 2 8
Table 11

This table is an evidence of the different topics that were mentioned on the articles, but at the same time

topics related to violence and detentions were mentioned just once.

Analysis of the Level of Criticism

PRAVDA
Level of criticism
Against Belarus For Belarus Neutral
17-12-2010 to 19-12-2010
20-12-2010 1 1
21-12-2010 1
22-12-2010 to 31-12-2010
Total 2 1 3
Table 12

“Pravda” revealed its support, mainly in the fact that they never criticized what happened and preferring

to be neutral in a first stage or in favor in the second day.

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Conclusion

With this research it was possible to see the differences between a western country and Russia towards a

flagrant violation of the Human rights and the democratic values.

The hypothesis that both media failed was proved. In fact, the Portuguese newspaper failed in the way

they just revealed the international community opinion and didn’t get official information from the

Belarusian side.

In what concerns Pravda, we can see a worst situation, as, in opposition, the opinion of the USA or EU was

not taken in consideration and the specialist interviewed, Dimitry Rodin, was part of the regime that used

the performance of the country as the low unemployment rate to justify the people’s support to

Lukaszenko and the demonstrator were described as trouble-making.

Although, there should be a deeper research if there would be more Russian online newspapers editions in

English language with better treatment of information.

Bibliography

 Books

PASQUINO G.Curso de Ciência Política. 2ºEdição, Principia. February2010, Cascais.

 WebSites

http://www.publico.pt

http://english.pravda.ru/

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