In just a couple of hours, we will see if democratic opposition candidate Alexander Milinkevich’s call to the people for street protests against an obviously fraudulent election will pan out. People are to meet at October Square in the middle of Minsk at 6:30 p.m. wearing smiles first and foremost. They will call for a recount and new elections.

Meanwhile, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has condemned the election. The chairman of the Helsinki Commission, Senator Brownback (R-KS) has slammed the election as a complete “farce.” Ministers from the European Union have followed suit, and are pursuing the path of bolstering sanctions against supporters of the regime. All in all, it is Western democratic countries that are critical of what is happening in Belarus today.

It is Russia and its authoritarian allies, on the other hand, who are most approving of the election. Russia’s foreign ministry backed Lukashenko 110% while the CIS election observation mission, composed of observers from countries like Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, has called the election “free, open and transparent.”

The Central Election Commission says that Lukashenko won with 82.6% of the vote with a 92% turnout. Please, control your laughing.

It is this very outrageous number and the indignity that follows suit that will hopefully bring people back out onto the streets today. Last night was the breaking of the barrier of fear. Even if Lukashenko is able to maintain his power for another five years, a certain threshold has been crossed that has ignited a new flame in the people there. Never before have they been allowed to gather in such large numbers. They finally saw that others were with them, in a state that tries to keep people apart. They left with a piece of hope in their hearts.

That hope is clings to the promise that people will come at to the square as they have been called to; that they won’t give up. Not once last night did the riot police intervene and break up the rally. One interviewee marked notably that, “The police were smiling.” How could they not? The power of the people shouting, “Love live Belarus!” is intense, enough to bend the iron-willed heart of even the toughest man. The outright moral integrity and patriotism of the rally last night touched everyone there.

The crowd toward the end had begun to shout, “The police are with us!” If they gather today without interference, we will certainly know if that is true. They’ve certainly got the protest babes on their side. As of right now, 6:30 Minsk time is an hour and a half away. Until then, we wait.

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IT BEGINS: Neeka reports that Channel 5 from Ukraine says that people are going to October Square, and that there are even more protestors than last night! It’s on, baby! It must be, because the government is DDoSing Charter 97 again.

The White House is calling for a new vote.

UPDATES: Ivan Lenin is translating LiveJournal reports from Minsk-based lipski, as well as others. He reports that several thousand people are on the square and they finally have proper amplifying equipment for the sound system. He says that right now there are up to 7,000 people and there doesn’t look to be many more coming. The police have also confiscated some tents. Hard to confirm just about anything right now and even worse, the people on the square right now don’t know what the government is doing outside the square to prevent people from going there.

Charter 97 is back up! It is finally able to update and it says that over 10,000 are in the square and that Milinkevich will be arriving soon. RFE/RL Belarus Service reports now around 6000 people and that busloads of riot police are being brought in. Anthony Evans’ sources in Minsk say that the protest is not over, that people are just hidden.

IT LIVES: Milinkevich spoke to the crowd: “Today they have announced the results of the presidential vote. People are laughing. It????????s a disgrace. They have isolated themselves from the people. They are afraid of the people. Their power rests on lies and violence. We are the free people of Belarus. We do not recognize the results of the vote. It????????s a constitutional coup! It????????s seizure of power by Lukashenka and his clique. We are for the rule of law! We wouldn????????t????????t surrender! We demand free and fair elections! We are for freedom, truth and justice… Our protest will be long and powerful!” The number of people has clearly increased and Charter 97 has put it at 20,000. It says that the Bell of Freedom is ringing over the square and rock-musicians are playing songs for the crowd.

FINALLY, PHOTOS: I’ll be uploading them to here.

The opposition leaders have taken the floor and adopted the “Declaration of the Belarussian People” that calls “to plead Alyaksandr Lukashenka the key frustrator of free and democratic election; to plead the present staff of the Central Election Commission responsible for the falsification of the election outcome; to appoint the second election for July 16, 2006.” People are screaming “No to dictatorship!”

AN HOUR LATER: Charter 97 has finally gotten its last hour of updates going. Milinkevich has declared that they will stay on the square until victory and has told people to call everyone they know, and to fetch warm clothes, blankets, and tea. Famous Belorussian artists, singers, and intellectuals are giving speeches and playing music. And the air is festive. Balloons are being sent into the air and people are hopeful. This is the latest as of 8:30 p.m. Minsk time. Lipsky’s report was at 7:30. This makes me very hopeful. RFE/RL confirms at least 15,000 people and the call to stay all night.

THE TENTS GO UP: Preparing for a long night. Or maybe even longer.

Still waiting on more. Charter 97 is currently being DDoSed again by the government. But Neeka has a string of updates with translations of Belarussian LiveJournal users who have interesting reports from the ground. Ivan Lenin has a more worrisome report, saying that several thousand protestors have surrounded the tents so that police cannot take them. And there is a rumor going around that in half an hour, the protestors will be brutally attacked.

This Guardian article says that, and it is corroborated by other LiveJournal reports, that busloads of troops were inunloaded at Karl Marx St. and have been stationing themselves in neighborhood squares to prevent people from going to October Square. No wonder not many more people are showing up. Charter 97 is still down, but RFE/RL correspondents say that according to its editors, RFE/RL is being reports are being broadcast to the square.

VIDEO: And lots of it. Click here to see footage of the protests from tonight.

FINALLY: Charter 97 is back up with news. It says that Milinkevich has invited Belarus State TV workers to report on the protest and has thanked the police for not getting involved. It was, of course, the broadcast of the protest in Ukraine’s Maidan by dissident state television reporters that got the word out better than anything. Right now many people in Belarus don’t even know this is going on. As Milinkevich says, all the television is showing is moustache. The police are also closing down grocery shops near the square so that people won’t have food, but it looks like people are trying to get it from home anyway. It is saying that the number of tents is growing rapidly.

10:50: As of this update, the police tried to sieze the electric generator sustaining the concert in the square. However, Milinkevich talked to them and they left, with demonstrators chanting, “Polce with the people!”

ALL-NIGHTER: The sound equipment has been turned off and the opposition did this deliberately. Milinkevich said that it was to preserve the public order. They are doing as much as they can to maintain the moral high ground, and even though some police have provoked fights, protestors have not allowed anyone to be detained and have not fought back. Milinkevich has announced that several thousand people will camp out and hold the square all night and all tomorrow, and then there will be another mass meeting at 6:30 again tomorrow.

One problem though. Charter 97 is back up and is saying that Milinkevich’s two sons have been gone for forty minutes after leaving to look for food, their cars are empty, and their cell phones are not answering. In effect, they have disappeared and nobody knows where they are. Hopefully nothing has happened to them.

It’s going to be a long night of rumors and news and hope. Want some tea?

12:30: Alright, Milinkevich’s sons have been released. They were detained and charged with petty hooliganism at the polie department, but as soon as the police colonel found out who they are, he tore up the report and escorted them back to the square. There are still several thousand people at the square, but the police are basically blockading anyone else from entering with food and things to warm the activists up. Br23 blog has posted and says that while there are less people due to the blockade, they are more determined than ever. It’s going to be a long night.

UH OH: Translating from the Belorussion LiveJournal community, Ivan Lenin translates a post at 1:18a.m. saying that the police that have blockaded the square throughout the night have been given the order to make sure the square is clear of protestors.

WHEW, AGAIN: Ivan Lenin translates a few more LiveJournal posts from nearly 2 a.m. saying that while nobody can enter the square, they police haven’t moved in either, so it’s likely going to be the same number of people staying overnight especially since the mass transit is down. People are only being arrested if they leave alone. It seems like these guys are in for the long haul and will hopefully be an inspiration to others. People have obviously been trying to reach the square all night but have been prevented from doing so by the police. They’ve been called to meet again at 6:30 again tomorrow night. Let’s hope they do.

Since that’s about it for the night, how about we just settle on a protest babe?

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Others blogging the revolution: Br23 Blog, Blogging Belarus, Neeka’s Backlog, The Being Had Times, Andrei Khrapavitski, The Filter.

Yahoo has its ongoing photo updates here. People are also posting up photos from the scene on Flickr here.

Looking for protest babes? My archive of Belorussian protest babes is here.