Lukashenko seeks another term in 'no‑choice' election drama
At 8 am in Belarus, the main day of voting organised by the regime commenced, with Alexander Lukashenko, who has been in power for 31 years, aiming for his seventh term in office. The opposition refers to this voting as "no-choice elections" because it lacks genuine opponents and any chance of a democratic process.
Formally, five candidates are contending for the presidency, but all, except for the leader who has remained unchanged for three decades, serve a formal role in the proceedings. Among the "candidates" are leaders of pro-regime parties and Hanna Kanapatskaya, a former member of the now-defunct opposition United Civic Party (AHP).
Belarusians can vote until 8 pm. No polling stations have been opened abroad.
The Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya stated that neither Belarusians nor the international community will recognise the results of Sunday's "elections". The European Parliament, in a resolution, urged the EU and member states to continue refraining from recognising Lukashenko as president following the "elections," which it described as a "sham."
He'll reappoint himself in yet another sham election. This is a blatant affront to democracy, declared the head of EU diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, on Saturday.
Kallas, the former Prime Minister of Estonia, who has been serving as the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security since December 2024, highlighted in her post on X dedicated to Belarus that Lukashenko has been in power for 30 years.
As she emphasised, on Sunday, "he nominates himself for president in successive rigged elections." - This is a blatant affront to democracy. Lukashenko doesn't have any legitimacy - she added.
According to Belarusian electoral law, early voting commenced a few days prior to the main day of voting, and regime media report extraordinary citizen activity, stating they "have gained immunity to destructive influences" and "agree on the direction the country should take."
Demonstrations and arrests after the 2020 elections
In 2020, despite the elimination of main opposition contenders through arrests and fabricated criminal cases - Siarhei Tsikhanouski and Viktar Babaryka (currently serving sentences), the elections became an opportunity to demonstrate mass protest against Lukashenko.
At that time, the Belarusian leader, according to experts - underestimating the level of social discontent, allowed Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya to run in the elections. Propaganda dismissed her as a "housewife" and a "cutlet fairy," attempting to ridicule her in the eyes of voters. Despite this, according to the opposition and independent calculations (the real results were never disclosed), it was Tsikhanouskaya who won the elections. After Lukashenko was declared the winner with 81 per cent, Belarusians took to the streets en masse.
The brutal suppression of protests and severe waves of political repression, unprecedented even for Belarus, led to the destruction or emigration of political opposition, media, organisations, and social activists, with thousands imprisoned. As human rights defenders report, repression continues even after five years, and there are currently 1,256 people in prison "for political reasons" (which is not the full count).
After the campaign and brutal reprisals of 2020, Western countries decided not to recognise the officially announced election results, and Lukashenko has not been recognised as the legitimate head of state since then. The West maintains contacts with the Belarusian opposition in exile, but its real influence and impact on the situation in Belarus are minimal.
