Formally from 8 a.m. local time (6 Polish time) to the fight for the office of President, 5 candidates stood. But everyone, in addition to the country's unchanging leader for 31 years, is simply a puppeteer.
Among the “candidates” are leaders of pro-regime parties and Hanna Kanapacka, she was a associate of the opposition but already liquidated by the government of the United Civic organization (AHP).
Belarusians can vote by 20 local time (18 in Poland). Election venues have not been opened abroad.
Svetlana Cichanouska: Belarusians and the global community do not recognise the results
Belarusian opposition leader Swiatlan Cichanouska stated that Belarus and the global community do not recognise the results of Sunday's "elections". The European Parliament called for the EU and associate States to proceed not to recognise Lukashenko as president after the elections.
According to the Belarusian electoral law, early voting began a fewer days before the main day of the vote, and government media study on the extraordinary activity of citizens who "have gained opposition to destructive influences" and "are in agreement on the direction in which the country should go".
Fake 2020 presidential elections in Belarus Citizens are out on the streets
In 2020, despite the elimination by arrests and faked criminal cases of the main challengers on the opposition side – Siarhei Cichanouski and Wiktar Babaryka (now serving sentences), the elections became an chance to show mass protest against Alexander Lukashenko.
At the time, the Belarusian leader, according to experts, did not appreciate the scale of social discontent, 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 the opposition and independent calculations (real results were never revealed), it was Cichanouska who won the election. After Alexander Lukashenko was declared the winner with a score of 81 percent, The Belarusians went to the street in bulk.
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 thousands of people were forced 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).
Following the run and violent repression of 2020, Western countries decided not to recognise the officially announced election results, and Alexander Lukashenko has not since been recognized as the legitimate head of the 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.
