Belarus Election Protests Continue

Opposition Leader Urges More Demonstrations In Wake Of Disputed Vote

(CBS/AP) 

The White House and European Union also hinted at sanctions against Lukashenko's authoritarian government.

However, Russia hailed the election held by its ally and said the result that gave Lukashenko a third term "must be viewed with respect."

Milinkevich, who also has demanded another election, said Lukashenko should be excluded from the new balloting.

"We are demanding a repeat election without the participation of Lukashenko. For us, this is very important. He does not have the constitutional right" to run again, Milinkevich told The Associated Press in an interview at his apartment.

He referred to a 2004 referendum that approved changing the constitution to end term limits for the president. Official results said the referendum passed handily, but the opposition says the vote was manipulated.

The Belarusian opposition was trying to mimic techniques that worked for their southern neighbor, Ukraine, and eventually brought in a new government. But in Ukraine, the crowds were much larger — 100,000 or more jammed central Kiev for weeks in December 2004, forcing a rerun of a flawed presidential election.

Through midday Tuesday, police had taken no tough action against the Minsk demonstrations, although they detained several people — including Milinkevich's sons briefly, as well as two top opposition figures and the head of a leading anti-government newspaper.

Protesters had stood in a human chain around a dozen small tents set up in the square, locking arms to protect the tiny encampment. Others tried to bring in blankets, food and hot beverages but were often detained by police.

Demonstrators occasionally broke into singing "Razom Nas Bahato" ("Together We Are Many"), the emblematic song of Ukraine's Orange Revolution.

"I believe that the repression will not stop us," said Olena Savina, a 21-year-old journalism student who said police detained her for about an hour and took away the food and sleeping mats she was bringing to the square. "I believe that there will be more and more of us."