- On Sunday in Belarus there will be a vote organised by the government in which the ruling Alexander Lukashenko intends to scope for the seventh word of government
- The opposition calls it a "no-choice" vote – due to the fact that it does not have real opponents or a chance of a democratic electoral process
- According to Paweł Latuszko, the Sunday “without-election” is simply a peculiar operation organized by the Belarusian KGB and personally approved by Lukashenko, and the consequence of this vote is already established in advance
- The country has an atmosphere of fear and terror. all day there are detentions and convictions. Is it possible to say that elections can be organised in this atmosphere? [...]. Lukaszenko's likely consequence is about 88%, “i.e. 1 percent point more than Putin”
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On Friday, in the PAP Study, easy stated that the Sunday "without-election" was a peculiar operation organised by the Belarusian KGB and personally approved by Lukashenko, and the consequence of this vote is already established in advance. He stressed that it is impossible to talk about elections in a situation where all were presidential candidates in the 2020 election, together with thousands of political prisoners sitting in prisons, all opposition parties and independent media are eliminated.
The Deputy Head of the United Interim Office of Belarus pointed out that protests or another social objections that took place after the 2020 election results were announced are not to be expected under the current conditions "this is suicide". — We don't even ask people to go out on the streets due to the fact that it's a consecutive way to prison. “He added.
— Lukashenko has changed legislation, a military charter that gives soldiers the right to shoot people without being held accountable. The country has an atmosphere of fear and terror.... all day there are detentions and convictions. Is it possible to say that in specified an atmosphere elections can be organised?
Come on. The 5 candidates, as Latuszuk emphasizes, are the leaders of pro-regime parties and people controlled by the Belarusian KGB, and the likely consequence that Lukashenko will “write” is about 88%, “meaning 1 percent point more than Putin”.
Propaganda, arrests and fake criminal cases. The Belarusians are out on the streets.
In 2020, despite the elimination by arrests and faked criminal cases of the main opponents on the opposition side – Siarhei Cichanouski and Wiktar Babaryka (now serving sentences), the elections became an chance to show mass protest against Lukashenko.
Five years ago, Lukashenko, according to experts, did not appreciate the scale of social dissatisfaction, allowed Swiatlana Cichanouska to vote. Propaganda called her “home chicken” and “cotlet fairy”, trying to embarrass her in the eyes of voters. Despite this, according to opposition and independent calculations (real results were never revealed), it was Cichanouska who won the election, and after Lukashenko was declared a winner with a score of 81 percent, The Belarusians went to the street in bulk.
The West does not admit Alexander Lukashenko. “Repressions continue”
Violent suppression of protests and violent waves of political repression, which were unprecedented even for Belarus, led to the demolition or emigration of political opposition, media, organizations and social activists, and forced thousands of people into prison. After 5 years, human rights defenders inform that repression continues, and there are presently 1,256 people in prisons for politics (which is not the full number).
In 2020, Western countries decided not to recognise the officially announced election results, and Lukashenko has not since been recognized as the legitimate head of state. The West keeps in contact with the Belarusian opposition on emigration, but its real impact and translation into the situation in Belarus are negligible.
