(Adnkronos) – Belarus has scheduled presidential elections for next January 26, and everyone expects incumbent leader Alexander Lukashenko to secure a seventh consecutive term. Lukashenko, a staunch ally of Russia and Vladimir Putin, is accused of rigging previous elections and eliminating political opposition, as well as stepping up the crackdown on dissent since Moscow launched the invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022. From exile in Lithuania, former democratic candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has called on citizens to “vote against all those who steal our right to vote,” despite the risk of repeating the incidents and fear that characterized the months following the last presidential election in 2020.
Belarus is Russia’s closest and most devoted ally and has multiple treaties and agreements with Moscow, its main economic partner. It’s fair to say that Minsk depends on Russia on many levels, from oil and gas imports to economic subsidies. At the same time, Russian troops and military equipment are regularly stationed in the country, which was one of the starting points for the invasion of Ukraine that began in 2022. Lukashenko has even allowed Russia to station nuclear weapons in the country. Therefore, the election of a pro-European president could have unpredictable consequences for the geopolitical balance of the region, which is why both the Kremlin and those who have ruled the country since its founding seem particularly careful to avoid unwanted developments.
Belarusian democratic forces, which have been seeking to oust Lukashenko since he came to power in 1994 after the collapse of the Soviet Union, have previously said they will ask the international community not to recognize the elections. The last election in 2020, as well as all previous ones, has been plagued by reports of widespread fraud. Five years ago, the announcement of Lukashenko’s victory by the Central Election Committee (CEC) sparked weeks of mass protests that seemed to bring Belarus to the brink of revolution. However, Lukashenko managed to regain control of the situation, and a fierce crackdown followed, with many thousands of people arrested or fleeing.
Belarus has about 1,300 political prisoners, according to the human rights group Viasna. Among those forced into exile in 2020 is former challenger Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who in the 2020 election, backed by the European Union, believed she had won with more than 60% of the vote. Tsikhanouskaya immediately lashed out at the announcement of the election date, questioning the chances of a free and fair presidential race. “Lukashenka announced the date of his ‘re-election’,” Tsikhanouskaya wrote on X, deliberately misspelling the leader’s name. “This is a farce without a real electoral process, conducted in an atmosphere of terror”. “No alternative candidates or observers will be allowed,” she continued.
The 42-year-old, who has been in exile between Poland and Lithuania for five years, accused “dictator” Lukashenko of having “stolen the people’s right to choose” and of “maintaining power through repression and thanks to the support of the Kremlin”. Tsikhanouskaya spoke on behalf of all the democratic forces of Belarus calling for an end to all forms of repression, the release of all political prisoners, the implementation of the right for all citizens to participate in elections regardless of their area of residence, freedom of association and equal access to the media and elections conducted in line with OSCE standards. “If the regime does not meet these demands, we believe that what will happen in 2025 will be an imitation of the electoral process – reads the post – We invite Belarusians to protest by voting against all those who steal our right to vote.We will also propose other ways to protest, depending on how the situation evolves”.
