Belarusians, on Sunday (Feb 25) headed to the polls in the country’s tightly controlled parliamentary and local elections which are set to cement the rule of President Alexander Lukashenko who has been in power since 1994. The Belarusian leader said that he would run for president again in 2025, reported the country’s state news agency BelTA.
‘Senseless farce’
The elections, which the opposition has dismissed as a “senseless farce,” was the first nationwide poll since the presidential election of 2020 which witnessed massive protests against Lukashenko, who was accused of rigging the result.
As of 9:00 am (local time) on Sunday, the voter turnout stood at 43.64 per cent hours after the polling stations officially opened, said the Belarusian Central Election Commission, as per the Associated Press.
Notably, most candidates running for the elections are from four officially registered parties all of which support Lukashenko’s policies. Around a dozen parties were denied registration last year.
Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya who is living in exile in neighbouring Lithuania released a statement urging voters to boycott the election.
“There are no people on the ballot who would offer real changes because the regime only has allowed puppets convenient for it to take part,” Tsikhanouskaya, who stood against Lukashenko in the 2020 presidential election said in a video statement.
She added, “We are calling to boycott this senseless farce, to ignore this election without choice.”
Tsikhanouskaya also said that the regime’s attempt to use these “fake elections to legitimise its power will not be successful” and called on the international community not to recognise the outcome of the ballot.
The contentious 2020 election which saw Lukashenko win a sixth term in office, led to an unprecedented wave of mass protests across the country where tens of thousands took to the streets for months. More than 35,000 people were arrested.
The United States condemned what it called “sham” elections being held in Belarus on Sunday. “The elections were held in a climate of fear under which no electoral processes could be called democratic,” said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.
Election officials said more than 40 per cent of the country’s voters cast their ballots during early voting. However, Viasna Human Rights Center said students, soldiers, teachers and other civil servants were forced to participate in early voting.
Lukashenko announces re-election bid
On Sunday, Lukashenko, who has ruled Russia’s neighbouring country, Belarus with an iron fist for nearly three decades announced that he would run for the presidential election, which will be held next year.
“Tell them (the exiled opposition) that I’ll run,” the incumbent president told reporters at a polling station after voting in parliamentary and local elections. He added, “No one, no responsible president would abandon his people who followed him into battle.”
The 69-year-old Belarusian president also accused the West of trying to use the vote to undermine his government and “destabilize” the nation, without any evidence to back his claim.
(With inputs from agencies)
