Belarus has scheduled its next presidential election for Jan. 26, 2025, the country’s Central Electoral Commission announced on Oct. 23. Incumbent Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko is widely expected to hold on to power following the election's result.
Lukashenko, the country's leader since 1994 and Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest ally, has long been accused of staging fraudulent elections in Belarus.
In 2020, during the last presidential election, Lukashenko maintained power despite the country's most prominent opposition leader, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, receiving popular support — claiming she won with 60 per cent of the vote.
Following the fabricated results, mass protest erupted in Minsk but were ultimately quelled with the support of Russia.
According to the Belarusian human rights group Viasna, over 50,000 citizens have been detained for political reasons since the 2020 election.
Following the announcement of the election date, Tsikhanouskaya disavowed the process calling it a "sham with no real electoral process, conducted in an atmosphere of terror."
"No alternative candidates or observers will be allowed. We call on Belarusians and the international community to reject this farce," Tsikhanouskaya added.
Following the 2020 election results, the European Union imposed sanctions on Belarus for "repression and intimidation against peaceful demonstrators, opposition members and journalists."
Earlier this year on Aug. 9, the U.K. imposed new sanctions against four Belarusian individuals and three entities on the fourth anniversary of the 2020 presidential election in Belarus.
Despite not being directly involved in Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Belarus hosts Russian troops and missiles on its territory.
Martin Fornusek
