Pro-Communist Elected Head of State in Belarus : Politics: The choice is a blow to reformers in the former Soviet republic.

In another rout for reformers in the former Soviet Union, a pro-Communist ex-police official was elected head of state in Belarus on Friday.

Mechislav Grib, 57, who advocates closer economic and military ties with Russia, was chosen on the second ballot by a vote of 183-55 to succeed ousted liberal reformer Stanislav Shushkevich as Speaker of Parliament.

Parliament voted no confidence in Shushkevich on Wednesday, just 11 days after the physicist-reformer had been warmly endorsed by President Clinton during the President’s visit to Minsk.

The U.S. State Department expressed regret over Shushkevich’s departure, saying the vote “deprives Belarus of leadership that has made a remarkable contribution to peace and stability in Europe.”

So did Belarussian Prime Minister Vyacheslav Kebich, who was Shushkevich’s constant critic. Kebich said Friday that although the two leaders had crossed swords, they agreed that their main task is to build a market economy in the nation of 10 million without causing social upheaval.

“We wanted to prevent a sharp drop in living standards . . . and to maintain stability, accord and peace on Belarussian soil,” Kebich said.

After Grib defeated rival Communist and Minsk Mayor Mikhail Marinich for the Speaker’s job, Kebich announced that he intends to form a new government.

At present, the Belarussian Speaker of Parliament and prime minister have equal power. Grib supports the adoption of a new constitution that would establish a strong presidency--and Friday’s vote gives him a good shot at becoming Belarus’ first president, according to reports from Minsk.

Even in Minsk, Grib is a relative unknown. Born to a peasant family, he was educated as a legal expert and a high-ranking official in the Soviet Interior Ministry in the Vitebsk region.

He was elected to the Belarussian Parliament in 1990 and heads a committee on national security, defense and law enforcement. Grib also leads the pro-Communist Belarus faction, which claims 130 of the 345 lawmakers.

His strong appeals for law and order have resonance in a new nation where, as in much of the former Soviet Union, economic and political chaos has bred crime.

“I liked Shushkevich. He was a nice man--but a little bit soft,” said Nina Marinich, a 36-year-old telephone operator in Minsk. “This new man, or rather the old Communist, may not be as good as Shushkevich in terms of democracy and all that.”

But with the economy collapsing, living standards declining and criminals running wild, a tough former policeman might restore order, she said.

“At least Communists used to have some order and discipline,” she said. “Prices were stable, and there was no crime. Democrats brought a good deal of anarchy.”

Grib also supports the recently announced monetary union between Belarus and Russia. Former Deputy Prime Minister Yegor T. Gaidar of Russia strongly protested the union as inflationary, but it is welcomed in Minsk, where the local zaichik, an interim coupon, inspires even less respect than the battered Russian ruble. In mid-January the zaichik was trading at 4.5 to the ruble.

“It would be nicer to have Russian rubles than the zaichiks of Shushkevich and Kebich,” Nina Marinich said.

Belarus never sought independence from the Soviet Union, and it remains dependent on Russia for 90% of its fuel. Shushkevich fought a lonely battle to shore up Belarussian sovereignty and tried to keep his country out of a military defense pact with the Russian-led Commonwealth of Independent States.

Grib supports that treaty and said Friday that he has “big hopes” for Russian-Belarussian friendship.

“We are Slavs, we are neighbors,” Grib said.