MOSCOW: Belarus will hold a presidential election on January 26, more than four years after allegations of vote rigging in the previous election sparked widespread protests.
Since 1994, the country has been under the control of President Alexander Lukashenko, a staunch ally of Russia, who has suppressed all opposition and imprisoned hundreds of critics and protestors. The election commission announced on social media that parliament had approved the election date, which the opposition has labeled a “sham.”
Critics accuse Lukashenko, who is expected to run for re-election, of human rights violations and the repression of dissent throughout his nearly 30-year rule, which has become increasingly authoritarian. The 2020 election was marred by allegations of fraud, leading to weeks of massive protests in Minsk and other cities.
During the brutal crackdown by security forces and riot police, thousands were arrested or fled the country. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, Lukashenko’s main challenger in 2020, claimed victory but was forced to leave Belarus. She has since dismissed the upcoming election as a “sham with no real electoral process, conducted in an atmosphere of terror.”
“No alternative candidates or observers will be allowed. We urge Belarusians and the international community to reject this farce,” she stated on X.
Tikhanovskaya’s husband, a prominent opposition figure, remains imprisoned after being jailed prior to the 2020 election when he announced his intention to run against Lukashenko. Currently, there are approximately 1,300 political prisoners in Belarus, according to the Viasna human rights group. Rights organizations report that the state’s repressive tactics have intensified.
In February 2022, Lukashenko allowed Russian forces to launch their military offensive on Ukraine from Belarusian territory that triggered the West to impose sanctions on Belarus.
