IISEPS — Independent Institute of Socio-Economic and Politycal Studies

WHO NEEDS PRIVATE BUSINESS?

In accordance with Table 1, many of our fellow countrymen – almost every sixth – have tried to run their own businesses over the past years.

Table 1. Distribution of answers to the question "Have you tried to launch your own business over lately – a company, civic initiative, public organization, etc.?"

Variant of answer	%
No	82.1
Yes	17.2

However, starting a business is one thing and ensuring its stability is quite another. As the polling data reveals, only every fifth of those who start a business do continue it successfully. All other either have big problems or have already closed their businesses after facing modern life realities. (See Table 2).

Table 2. Distribution of answers to the question "If you have tried to organize your business, how does it develop nowadays?"

Variant of answer	%
Over great hardships	9.1
I had to close the business	7.5
Quite successfully	3.4

These realities are outlined in Table 3 which presents the most topical events of recently.

Table 3. Distribution of answers to the question "What recent events in Belarus have been the source of your concern?, %

Variant of answer	Yes	No
Growth of prices and utilities rates	86.0	11.4
Break-up of gas delivery from Russia in February of 2004	62.3	29.7
Corruptibility of top-level officials	57.8	32.5
Transition to the contractual terms of work	49.0	42.1
Expansion of NATO and EU to the Belarusian borders	42.5	44.0
Talks on introduction of the Russian ruble as a sole currency in Russia and Belarus	42.3	46.9
"Color revolutions" in Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan	40.5	46.0
Brutality of militia against participants of protest marches	40.2	48.2
Disappearances of opposition figures	37.6	46.9
Strikes and hunger-strikes of private entrepreneurs against actions of the authorities	37.3	51.1
Results of the referendum of 2004	35.7	54.9
Other	4.9	12.1

As one can see, apart from constant growth of prices and utilities rates, the Belarusians are greatly concerned about gas relations with Russia, corruptibility of top-level managers and officials as well as mass transition of employees to the contractual terms of work. All other evens give them less ground for concern. Since almost 40% of the Belarusians take protests of private entrepreneurs against the actions of the authorities for very important events, we should say that many citizens are concerned about this. First of all, those concerned are businessmen running their own businesses and scraping through all possible and impossible obstacles to survive. Apparently, the state has its own interests in this field. Enterprising people well understand this, as Table 4 shows.

Table 4. Attitude to A. Lukashenko depending on answers to the question "Have you tried to launch your own business over lately – a company, civic initiative, public organization, etc.?", %

Variant of answer	"Have you tried to launch your own business over lately – a company, civic initiative, public organization, etc.?"
Variant of answer	Yes	No
If A. Lukashenko runs for presidency for the third term and a candidate for democratic opposition stands his rival, who will you vote for?
For A. Lukashenko	15.1	46.1
For a candidate for the democratic opposition	46.9	18.4
If the presidential election takes place tomorrow in Belarus, who would you vote for?
For A. Lukashenko	14.8	47.1

Obviously, A. Lukashenko was right when he said that businessmen didn’t vote for him. Most of them won’t do this in the future. The reason of this is fairly transparent.