The presidential election in Belarus was approved by the Belarusian home of Representatives, as confirmed by the AFP agency. This event will be another effort to legitimize the power of Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the country continuously since 1994. Belarus, Russia's closest ally, announced that the presidential election would take place on January 26, 2025.
2020 elections – symbol of oppression and repression
The fresh 2020 elections were subject to global controversy. Officially Lukashenko won 80 percent of the vote, but the election process was considered unfair, leading to massive protests in the streets of Belarusian cities. The biggest opponent of Lukashenko was Swiatlana Cichanouska, whose run gained broad public support.
Despite this, after announcing the results, which gave her only 10% of the vote, she had to leave the country for fear of her safety.
Repressions against the opposition did not limit themselves to arresting activists – they besides included their families. Cichanouska's husband, Sergei Cichanouski, was arrested before the elections under charges which human rights defenders considered fabricated. He received 18 years in prison. global organisations have explicitly condemned these actions, calling them an effort to suppress democratic opposition.
The Lukashenko government and Russia support – the date of the presidential elections in Belarus
Lukashenko, accused of authoritarian governments, regularly restricted civilian liberties and eliminated political opposition. In 2022 he agreed that Russia should usage the territory of Belarus to attack Ukraine, which further deepened Minsk's global isolation. The West imposed sanctions on the country, covering both the government and people associated with it, which was to be a consequence to support Russia's aggression.
Read more: Night attack on Ukraine. Drone Shahed over Belarus
This situation affected the position of Belarus, which further strengthened relations with Russia, becoming its strategical ally. At the same time, any effort to conduct free and fair elections was suppressed by state apparatus and force resorts.
Head of the CKW: Strengthening democracy
In the context of the upcoming elections, the head of the Central Election Commission, Igor Karpenko, assures that the election run in January 2025 "will further strengthen democracy in the country". 60,000 people were planned to be active in the election committees, which, according to Karpenko, have extended experience gained during erstwhile elections.
However, critics stress that in fact the electoral process is full controlled by the regime. In the past independent observers had limited access to election committees, and the opposition election run was virtually invisible in state media. There are many indications that the January elections will be re-run according to the same scenario.
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