Presidential elections were held in Belarus on 23 June 1994, with a second round on 10 July. They were the first national elections held in Belarus since the country seceded from the Soviet Union three years earlier. The result was an overwhelming victory for Alexander Lukashenko, who received 81% of the vote in the second round. Voter turnout was 79% in the first round and 71% in the second.
Background
On 15 March 1994, the Supreme Council adopted the Constitution of Belarus, which made Belarus a democracy with a presidential system. Until the ratification of the constitution, Chairman of the Supreme Council Myechyslaw Hryb had effectively ruled as both the head of state and head of the parliament.
The Constitution set the age requirement for presidential candidates at 35 and demanded at least 10 years of residency in the Republic of Belarus. Candidates could be proposed by 70 members of the Supreme Council, provided they also gathered 100,000 public signatures. For an election to be legitimate, it needed at least 50% voter participation and was conducted using a two-round system.
On 6 April the Central Commission of the Republic of Belarus for Elections and Referendums established a timeline for the first presidential election, which outlined the role of local initiative groups in nominating candidates.
Electoral system
The president of Belarus is elected using the two-round system. If no candidate obtains over 50% of the vote, a second round is held with the top two candidates. The winner of the second round is elected. A turnout quorum of 50% is applied.
Candidates
Six candidates who were recognized by the government to have received the most signatures from Belarusian citizens and to have received substantial support from initiative group members became eligible to contest the first round.
Campaign
Prime Minister Vyacheslav Kebich's campaign was bolstered by the apparat of the Supreme Council and open support from Russia, but his initial popular support dwindled following excessive coverage of his candidacy in government-sponsored media. This controversy, in addition to widespread dissatisfaction with his economic reforms, contributed to his defeat in the second round of voting.
Zianon Pazniak, the head of the Belarusian Popular Front, was the strongest proponent of a free-market economy out of all of the candidates. His support for a revitalized Belarusian identity that centered around the primary of the Belarusian culture and language led some opponents to criticize him for being too nationalistic.
Vasily Novikov, the Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party of Belarusian Communists, advocated for a return to collectivization and an end to the process of privatization that had begun following Belarusian independence from the Soviet Union.
Alexander Lukashenko released his campaign platform entitled "To Lead the People Away from the Abyss" on 14 June in the Narodnaya Gazeta, the state newspaper that was run by the Supreme Council. His populist agenda outlined price stabilization, independence of the National Bank, and government austerity programs. A central promise of his campaign was to crush high-level corruption. Responding to criticism that he had no candidates for the position of Prime Minister, he reportedly stated that it was "easier than finding a milkman". He also described a system of guaranteed welfare for vulnerable citizens that would be supported by progressive taxation. Regarding his foreign policy positions, Lukashenko expressed his desire to improve the international standing of Belarus, as well as to restore ties with Russia and Ukraine.
Stanislav Shushkevich, the former Chairman of the Supreme Council, centered his campaign around his role in achieving Belarusian independence from the Soviet Union and subsequent reforms despite substantial communist opposition in the Supreme Council. He also expressed his support for a reduction in the state's role in moderating the economy. Prior to his tenure as Chairman, Shushkevich had also been a vocal critic of the Soviet Union's response to the Chernobyl disaster and its effects on Belarus.
Alaksandar Dubko, the Chairman of the Union of Agrarians, was vocal in his support for collectivization in order to appeal to both agrarians and the peasantry.
Opinion polls
According to a poll conducted by Eridan a week prior to the election, Lukashenko was predicted to lead with 21%, with Kebich at 17.3%, Pozniak at 11.6%, and Shushkevich at 9.9%.
Opinion polls conducted by NOVAK:
A poll conducted by Belarusian pollster NISEPI several months after the elections indicated that Lukashenko secured 80% of the vote in the second round among those who participated in the election. During the first round, his support was at 44.6% among Belarusian speakers and 27.6% among Russian speakers.
Conduct
During the election, Lukashenko claimed that he had been the target of a failed assassination attempt. This claim was disputed by the Belarusian KGB despite police reports detailing an attempted car ramming of Lukashenko's vehicle followed by gunshots.
After the first round, both Interfax and Agence France-Presse reported that a grenade had been thrown at the Belarusian secretary for national security.
Aftermath
Lukashenko's victory was a surprise to many, as Prime Minister Vyacheslav Kebich had widely been expected to win by international observers despite extremely close polling results between the two candidates. Regardless, the outcome of the election was recognized as legitimate by the international community. Furthermore, the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe expressed its view that Lukashenko's tenure as President would be a step towards a "more pluralistic democracy and free market system" in Belarus.
Upon his victory, Lukashenko pledged there would be "no dictatorship." He was inaugurated as president on July 20. A 1995 referendum resulted in Lukashenko gaining the power to dissolve parliament, as well as restoring modified Soviet-era state symbols and initiating closer ties with Russia. In 1996 Lukashenko began further consolidating his authority with another referendum approving reforms that dramatically increased his powers and extended his original five-year term to 2001, after which he continued to win additional terms. As a result, the 1994 presidential election is considered the only free election held in Belarus since it broke away from the Soviet Union.