Facts cannot be denied, as we’ve seen in the recent parliamentary elections and as is explored in our article entitled Actual Results. The election to the National Assembly’s House of Representatives saw voters being most active in the Vitebsk Region, where 80.2 percent of those registered to vote attended polling stations. Minsk saw the lowest turnout, at just 59.2 (as is traditional). Of 293 candidates standing for election, only 109 were elected to Parliament: 80 men and 29 women. Five members are from the Communist Party of Belarus, the Agrarian Party and the ruling Republican Party of Labour and Justice.
Observers noted the professionalism and competence of district electoral commissions and, responding to comments that the election campaign had been boringly uneventful, President Alexander Lukashenko said, “Others should envy us if the elections are boring! Elections which are boring and quiet are happy for people, not to mention the Government. Elections in any civilised society should be conducted this way.”
People have long said that where there’s bread there’s song. According to the ancient tradition, those who work especially hard in bringing in the harvest are honoured. The Republican Dozhinki Festival, a relatively new holiday, is already very much anticipated and enjoyed, while celebrating the work of our agrarians. This year, the Mogilev Region’s hospitable town of Gorki hosted the holiday, bringing together around 50,000 guests from various corners of Belarus, Russia, Lithuania and Georgia. Read more in Holiday Always with You.
As is traditional, the solemn event began by honouring those villagers who had brought in the harvest. This year’s crop breaks all records, with around 9.2m tonnes of grain collected (almost one tonne per resident). This surpasses 2011’s harvest by over a million tonnes. In all, 247 agricultural machine operators were awarded while 17 crews exceeded the target of 3,500 tonnes of grain output. Meanwhile, combine operator Mikhail Saladukha set an absolute record of 7,716 tonnes of grain. Engineers, agro-technicians and heads of enterprises were among the winners of the Republican contest, with the best senior combine operators and youth crews receiving vehicles as prizes. They have every right to be proud of their success since, this year, Belarus has harvested the greatest crop of cereals in its history: 45 centners per hectare.
Organising Dozhinki brings major improvements for the host town, as Gorki demonstrates vividly. Over 250 sites have been built or reconstructed within a record period, for the first time in the history of the Republican festival. The town has received a whole new look, as has the district. There are two new signs at the entrance to Gorki, while ten contemporary dairy farms have also appeared. The President underlines that the Gorki District should become an example to others, with state executives learning from its experience and local residents carefully preserving the wonderful facilities they have been given.
Another example of great achievement is evident in BelAZ Conquers Las Vegas, detailing the stir caused by Belarusian dump trucks abroad. The international exhibition in American Las Vegas gathers the largest producers of quarry machinery from around the world every four years, each demonstrating their latest developments and competing for status in this prestigious niche market. The Belarusian 360 tonne BelAZ-75603 shone at the event, even among such giants as Caterpillar, Komatsu and Liebherr.
Every day, hundreds of visitors flocked to its stand, with several contracts concluded with global mining leaders. As ever, the most interesting facts failed to be photographed or covered by official press releases but this was the first time that BelAZ had demonstrated its impressive dump truck at the American exhibition. Thousands of kilometres separate Belarusian Zhodino from the desert location so it would be a challenge to even send a small passenger car; however, MAZ managed to deliver the monster-size truck, rising to the unique challenge.
Every day, MAZ produces several dozen dump trucks, each taking a whole month to assemble; its components are many and sourced from all over the globe before the finished vehicles are sent to mine copper, coal or salt. Russia, Ukraine, Venezuela and Chile are among existing customers for the 50-100 tonne BelAZ trucks and the 360 tonne exposition vehicle is, of course, even larger.
There is much for our machine builders to be proud of and their achievements must certainly stand as an example to other industries and enterprises. Secret of Success tells us how the Gomel Region’s Narovlya District — which suffered most from the Chernobyl catastrophe — has managed to occupy a leading position in the development of small business. Meanwhile, Energy Efficient Variants explores plans in the Grodno Region’s Novogrudok District to set up an innovative wind park and the Ivye District’s plans for testing solar panels. The Grodno Region already boasts a hydroelectric power station on the Nieman River and is soon to see its Ostrovets nuclear power station join the repertoire of alternative energy sources. There are so many good examples of innovation and energy saving.
Moreover, recently, Yekaterina Buraya, 23, won an international beauty contest in Warsaw, as you can read in Charming girl from Bobruisk. It is a good complement to our other successes!
BY Viktor Kharkov,
magazine editor
Беларусь. Belarus
