From republican newspapers to districts: how the first All-Belarusian People’s Assembly was covered in the pages of newspapers

In October 1996, the first All-Belarusian People’s Assembly became one of the main topics of the Belarusian press. Attention to the forum was natural: its decisions largely depended on the further political and socio-economic orientations of the country. How did the newspapers of that time cover this event? To answer that question, we went to the National Library and flipped through the filings.

There is only one power – the national main newspaper of the country, “Soviet Belarus”, from the very beginning covered the VNS in a solemn manner. In the October 19 issue, the meeting was presented as an important step towards strengthening the Belarusian statehood and consolidation of society. This was emphasized by the headlines “Democracy is first of all the will of the people”, “Time requires responsible and reasonable decisions” and “Only the people have the right to decide their fate”. The newspaper spoke in detail about the preparation of the forum and the participation of representatives of various social groups.

In the issue of October 20, the statements of the VNS participants were published. The Chairman of the Loyiv district Council Larisa Kotova called the meeting necessary for the state and hoped to achieve mutual understanding. The turner of the Gomel Motor Repair Plant Vasily Khodko came to support the President, and the representative of the Mogilev City Council of Veterans Ivan Zemtsev expected that the forum would contribute to the establishment of peace and order. Thus, the participants presented themselves as supporters of dialogue, the presidential course and social stability.

The youth newspaper “Banner of Youth” on October 19 carried a message on the cover: “Today the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly begins its work.” Below was an intriguing inscription: “The days of October 19-20 promise to go down in history.” This formulation drew the reader’s attention to the special responsibility of society for what was happening and emphasized the turning point of the moment.

In the issue of October 22, the newspaper turned to covering the results of the meeting. The program report of Alexander Lukashenko was published on the entire page. Next came the material “We have one power – the people.” And the people support their President, who emphasized the unity of the Head of State and society. The issue also presented a resolution of the All-Belarusian People's Assembly. On October 19, the day of the opening of the VNS, the Brest regional newspaper Zarya put information about the meeting in the head of the issue: “Today, the first All-Belarusian People’s Assembly begins its work in the Minsk Sports Palace.” The newspaper also reported on the live broadcast of the forum by television.

In the issue of October 22, the topic of the VNS became central. The headline “Belarusian Veche: Choice for the Future” and the President’s report were published on the front page. The newspaper also recounted the speeches of the meeting participants. Nina Nedvetskaya, the director of the school from Volkovysk, spoke about the people’s power and the support of the President, and Inna Gulyuta, a student of the Belarusian State Economic University, spoke about the youth’s support for his policy aimed at stabilizing and developing the country.

The continuation of the topic appeared in the issue of October 31. “Zarya” published “Appeal of the President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko to the citizens of the country”, in which the Supreme National Assembly called “an important event in the history of our country”. Particular emphasis was placed on the unity of government and society: the meeting, as noted in the text, showed that “no destructive forces are able to cause a split between the President and the people who elected him.”.

The Soligorskaya newspaper Shakhtser chose a consistent and recognizable format to cover the first All-Belarusian People’s Assembly. In the issue of October 25, 1996, the editorial board opened a permanent column “The Word to Delegates of the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly”, which was published for several weeks. So, on November 5, the rubric was entitled “The President is supported by the people”. His impressions were shared by Galina Mikhailovna Levkovich, chief agronomist of the collective farm “Progress” and delegate of the VNS. She spoke about the business and serious atmosphere of the meeting, stressed the openness of the President to dialogue and noted that the opinion of ordinary villagers was heard. Thanks to this approach, the reader saw not abstract “delegates”, but specific people from his environment: chief accountant, agronomist, driver, chairman of the village council.

The Arshanskaya Gazeta started covering the forum in advance. On October 15, she told about the meeting of residents of the city and the district with delegates who were supposed to represent Orsha at the People’s Forum. In the article “Sustralisya Delegates”, the names of participants and enterprises from which they were delegated were named.

On October 22, after the end of the meeting, the newspaper reported on the event under the headline “Skin could show”. The article focused on the sincere impressions of fellow countrymen, who noted the high level of organization and the possibility of an open dialogue. On October 24, the publication published the full text of the WNC resolution, detailing the social issues and support mechanisms raised at the meeting.

The topic of the VNS remained on the pages of the “Arshanskaya Gazeta” until November, gradually giving way to the next important event of social and political life – the referendum. In the issue of November 2, the newspaper has already directed the attention of readers to the upcoming popular expression of will under the slogan “People say a pile of words”, presented in the new permanent rubric “Referendum-96”.

shestakevich@sb.by