The groups in Belarus who have united in their attempts to oppose the totalitarian regime of Alexander Lukashenka are developing a campaign for January's elections to tell voters the truth about the country's economic and political situation. Without a free press (not to mention criminal penalties for voicing opposition to the Communist government), the facts about Belarus' increasingly precarious social and economic situation do not reach the public. Thus, the new Rasplyushchy Vochy (Open Your Eyes) campaign, a brave move by the opposition forces who are relying on meager resources, prayers and their hope for a free Belarus to yet make a difference.
Among the facts these groups want to bring to the public are:
* Belarus ranks 67th in economic and social development, behind Estonia, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Russia;
* The Ministry of Justice has not been registering political parties since 1999;
* Belarus is the sole European country whose nationals need to obtain a travel stamp for foreign trips; and
* Belarus ranks 106th worst among 155 countries in business environment, after Kazakhstan (86th), Russia (79th), Lithuania (15th) and Estonia (16th).
