Longtime Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has reportedly secured victory in what critics are calling a “sham” presidential election, garnering 87.6 percent of the votes according to official exit polls. This marks his seventh consecutive term at the helm of the Eastern European nation, where he has maintained power for over three decades.
Opposition candidates lack credibility
The ballot featured four opposition candidates, all of whom were perceived as loyal to Lukashenko. Ahead of the election, one of these candidates, Sergei Syrankov, leader of the Communist Party, stated, “There is no alternative to Alexander Lukashenko as the leader of our country.” He emphasized that they were participating alongside the president’s team, further undermining the legitimacy of the electoral process.
Internationally, Lukashenko’s government has faced widespread denunciation, with the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States refusing to recognize his administration as legitimate. This follows the controversial 2020 elections that resulted in massive protests and a violent crackdown on dissent, backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Lukashenko has clung to power for 30 years. Tomorrow, he’ll reappoint himself in yet another sham election,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas remarked before the vote.
Public response and dissent
In contrast to the uproar witnessed in 2020, public reaction to the latest election results in Belarus has been surprisingly subdued. Activist Art Balenok, currently residing in Austria, noted that the severe repression following the 2020 protests has stifled any significant resistance. “This whole thing [resistance to Lukashenko] has been pushed down, repressed so badly, that doing something from within the country at the moment is not possible,” he explained.
Since Lukashenko’s last controversial election victory, over half a million people have fled Belarus, fearing for their safety in a repressive political climate. Balenok added, “If you go out and start protesting, you’ll be thrown in jail. Maybe you’ll come out one day. Maybe not.”
Exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya voiced her discontent from Warsaw, where she participated in a demonstration. “Today, we marched for freedom in Warsaw — united and unshaken, honoring our heroes who gave their lives for freedom,” she shared on social media. “Together, we are unstoppable,” she declared, reaffirming the resolve of Belarusians to reclaim their nation.
Despite the spirited demonstrations abroad, sentiments within Belarus paint a different picture. Aleś Alachnovič, economic adviser to Tsikhanouskaya, shared his concerns about the pervasive atmosphere of fear. “People feel that the costs of protest increase while the benefits of protest decrease. They don’t see that right now their votes or their actions can change anything,” he lamented.
As he cast his vote, Lukashenko remarked that some political adversaries had “chosen” exile or imprisonment instead of participating in the electoral process. He defended the state’s actions against dissenters, saying, “Prison is for people who opened their mouths too wide, to put it bluntly, those who broke the law.”
While Lukashenko has released over 250 individuals in the past year, including an American prisoner on election day, he dismissed claims that this was an effort to mend ties with the West, stating, “I don’t give a damn about the West.” He added that Belarus is open for dialogue with the EU but would not compromise its sovereignty.
The European Parliament echoed the widespread condemnation of the election, calling it a “sham” and urging the EU to refuse recognition of Lukashenko’s anticipated victory.