President Alexander Lukashenko, bolstered by subsidies and political backing from Russia, is facing tightly controlled parliamentary and local elections in Belarus. Despite opposition calls for a boycott, Sunday’s polls are expected to solidify Lukashenko’s authoritarian grip on power. Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus for nearly three decades and recently announced plans to run for re-election next year, accuses the West of seeking to undermine his government through the electoral process.
The elections feature candidates mainly from four officially sanctioned parties, all aligned with Lukashenko’s policies, while several other opposition parties were denied registration. Exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who challenged Lukashenko in the disputed 2020 election, has urged voters to boycott the elections, labelling them a “senseless farce” devoid of genuine choices.
These elections mark Belarus’ first since the contentious 2020 vote, which triggered widespread protests and a severe crackdown on dissent, resulting in thousands of arrests, beatings, and closures of independent media outlets and NGOs. Lukashenko’s reliance on Russian support has been crucial in quelling the protests, even allowing Moscow to deploy troops into Ukraine from Belarusian territory in 2022.
The current electoral process unfolds amidst ongoing repression, with over 1,400 political prisoners, including opposition leaders and human rights advocates, incarcerated. Concerns about manipulation loom large, with early voting periods perceived as susceptible to fraud, as ballot boxes remain unprotected for several days. According to election officials, over 40% of voters participated in early voting, with turnout reaching 43.64% at the opening of polls on Sunday morning.
