14 Борисов

The wall street journal

Belarus Holds Parliament Vote

By ALAN CULLISON

MOSCOW—Belarus reported a moderate turnout in parliamentary elections Sunday, despite appeals from opposition leaders to "go fish or pick mushrooms" than participate in a poll that will prolong the rule of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko.

A Belarussian soldier fills out a ballot Sunday at a Minsk polling station.

Results are expected to reaffirm Mr. Lukashenko's hold on the 110-seat parliament, a rubber-stamper of his rule since he came to power in 1994. Western monitoring agencies haven't judged an election in Belarus free and fair since 1995.

Mr. Lukashenko's opponents called the election a farce in advance. Opposition candidates were ignored by state-run television, and newspapers declined to publish information about their platforms. No big protests were planned after the vote, however, since police decisively crushed such demonstrations in the wake of presidential elections in 2010.

Mr. Lukashenko enjoys considerable bedrock support among Belarussians nostalgic for Soviet-era economic guarantees and indifferent to the idea of Western-style democracy. The president visited a polling station Sunday where he told reporters that the rest of the world "should envy our boring elections. We don't need any revolutions or upheavals." He called opposition leaders "cowards" for urging a boycott of the election.

Mr. Lukashenko has redoubled pressure on the opposition since the 2010 presidential election and the demonstrations in the aftermath. Police arrested around 700 people at the time, and about 15 opposition leaders remain in jail, including former presidential candidate Nikolai Stankevich.

On Sunday Mr. Lukashenko dangled the possibility of releasing two political opponents, saying that two had applied for pardons and that their cases were now being considered by a commission. He didn't say which of the detainees were being considered.

Opposition party leader Anatoly Lebedko said, "The call to go fish or pick mushrooms was attuned to the expectations of people. By the estimates of independent observers, these elections have failed."

The Western election-observer mission run by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, OSCE, has more than 330 observers in Belarus for the election and is expected to announce its initial verdict Monday.

In the voting Sunday Mr. Lukashenko was keen to avoid a rerun of elections should turnout fall below 50%. State television urged voters to the polls, and more than a quarter of voters were reported to have cast their ballots during the week ahead of the election, taking part in early voting that was strongly promoted by the authorities.

15 Евстигнеева

The Australian

By Pia Akerman

Alleged killer faces Meagher family

THE husband of slain Melbourne woman Jill Meagher has urged restraint from the public on social media, after he came face to face with his wife's alleged killer.

Adrian Ernest Bayley, 41, appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court just after midday today, charged with the rape and murder of the ABC staffer last Saturday morning.

Ms Meagher's husband Thomas and her brother Michael McKeon waited in the court just metres from his wife's alleged killer, as prosecutors told the court they needed to amend the wording of the rape charge.

Mr Bayley did not speak apart from telling deputy chief magistrate Jelena Popovic that he understood what was going on, as Mr Meagher leant forward from his front row seat.

Mr Bayley kept his gaze downwards, looking at his hands in his lap, apart from brief glances at Ms Popovic.

Bayley, a well-built man with short blond hair, wore a tight-fitting, navy blue T-shirt at the hearing.

Mr Bayley last night took homicide detectives to a remote site near Gisborne, a country town on Melbourne's northwest fringe, where Ms Meagher's body was found in a shallow grave.

As he left the dock, a man seated in the back of the crowded courtroom yelled "Maggot!"

Outside the court, Mr Meagher said he was grateful for the support of the public, but urged people not to prejudice the trial through social media.

"Despite the fact that this is the worst thing we'll ever go through in our lives, I've been really humbled by the support of the Australian public, the tireless efforts of the police and all the friends and family who have put their lives on hold to help us out,'' he told reporters.

"While I really appreciate all the support, I just would like to mention that negative comments on social media may hurt legal proceedings so please be mindful of that," he said.

He also asked for privacy for the Meagher and McKeon families.

Ms Popovic agreed to amend the rape charge as requested by the prosecution, and ordered Mr Bayley to reappear for a committal mention in January.

Mr Bayley is accused of murdering Ms Meagher in Brunswick, where she went missing in the early hours of Saturday.

He is also charged with raping her on the same day in Brunswick.

The case had earlier been adjourned while Mr Meagher and Mr McKeon met with police, at the urging of Ms Popovic.

Ms Popovic said the family would be provided with an empty court room so officers could brief them on the court process.

"There's no secret about this," Ms Popovic told the court.

"We know that there is a very serious matter that is before the court today.

"We know that there are a number of very grief-stricken family members here today.

"We'd like to manage this matter as sensitively as we can."

Ms Popovic earlier remarked that she had never before seen the courtroom so full of people, as media, lawyers and interested members of the public stood and sat on the floor to watch the proceedings.

Mr Bayley was charged during an out-of-sessions court hearing at 2.30am today.