Belarus Presidential Election: Early Voting Begins
Early voting started on January 21 in Belarus, ahead of the presidential election scheduled for January 26. This comes after a disputed election in 2020, which was marred by widespread voting fraud and massive protests.
The August 2020 election saw President Alexander Lukashenko claim victory, but most Western governments refused to recognize him as the legitimate leader. They instead considered Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who leads Belarusian democratic forces in exile, the real winner.
Lukashenko has been in power since 1994 and announced his intention to run again last year. However, human rights activists see early voting as a way for the government to rig the election. They claim that up to 40% of voters participate in early voting, which is often forced upon citizens by their employers or local authorities.
According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, elections in Belarus have lost their meaning and are now used to create a false image of widespread support for the authoritarian government. This has been the case since Lukashenko’s victory in 2020, which was followed by brutal suppression of mass protests across the country.
Lukashenko is also closely tied to Russia, having backed Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and provided territory for Russian troops to launch missiles against Ukrainian cities. Russia has used Belarus as a staging area for its invasion since 2022.
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