Half of Belarusians in Favour of Cooperation with the EU

• 4.02.2008, 14:40

The weekly informational and analytical TV program “Nedelya” of the state-run TV channel STV-RenTV offered a real sensation yesterday. Announcing a voting of viewers on the question: “What relations are priorities for Belarus? (with Russia or with the EU)”, hosts of the program were not expecting that viewers would not hurry into the “brotherly” embrace of the Eastern neighbour.

An interactive survey on the topic “Does relations with Russia or with the EU are a priority for Belarus?” was held over the period of the program ( from 7.30 p.m. till 8.30 p.m.). Viewers could express their opinion on the hotline.

Predictably, items of anti-European and anti-West bias prevailed in the program. For instance, the program covered the strike of Polish customs officers as an unfriendly act of the whole EU.

Despite of that, the difference between the votes for cooperation with Russia and with the EU varied from 50 to 200 voices only.

As a result, 8,776 persons out of 16,678 voted in favour of the cooperation with Russia, while 7,902 for cooperation with the EU. As viewers of the program noted, this contest was unprecedented for the state TV channel, and the difference of 800 voices in favour of Russia showed up in the last minutes of the program.

The counter is fact went of scale. It looked very much like TV administration could not allow high level of sympathies of Belarusian viewers towards the EU on the day of Lukashenka’s visit to Sochi to talks with Russian leadership.

As a result of voting, 52.5% of viewers called relations with Russia a priority for Belarus, while 47.4% called a priority the relations with the EU.

In the end of the program TV presenters were so confused that they didn’t announce these percents, as they expressively showed that Belarusians want to Europe very much.

Despite of the anti-West propaganda of the regime.