In the spotlight: Alexander Lukashenka

Last week security officers beat up presidential candidate Alexander Kazulin and opened fire on his supporters who were following a police vehicle that was taking the presidential hopeful to a police station. On the same day around 10,000 supporters of another presidential candidate, Alexander Milinkevich, gathered for an election rally in the center of Minsk in the largest opposition demonstration since 1999. At the same time, President Lukashenka was busy speaking to members of the Belarusian People's Assembly glorifying Belarusian economic achievements. He also accused the West of attempting to falsify the upcoming elections and attacking the "last entrenchment" before Moscow.

In the past, the Belarusian President has accused Poland of playing a leading role in interfering with Belarus' internal affairs and selling itself to the US, for $110 (zł.348) billion.

Relations between Poland and Belarus deteriorated last summer after leaders of the Polish minority opposing Lukashenka were repeatedly detained by police. In January Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz met with opposition candidate Milinkevich during the latter's visit to Poland. Last month an independent radio station, Radio Racja, began broadcasting from Białystok in the east of Poland into Belarus. As the election draws closer, the President's actions will likely become increasingly erratic.