Belarus sets a Jan. 26 election that's almost certain to extend its authoritarian leader's rule
Lawmakers in Belarus set the next presidential election for Jan. 26, a vote almost certain to extend the three-decade rule of authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Lawmakers in Belarus on Wednesday set the next presidential election for Jan. 26, a vote almost certain to extend the three-decade rule of authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko, who has suppressed all political dissent.
Exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya swiftly denounced the upcoming balloting as a “farce.”
Lukashenko has already said he would seek what would be his seventh consecutive term, extending back to 1994, and confirmed it Wednesday in remarks to Russian state TV. His last victory came in a 2020 election denounced by the opposition and the West as fraudulent.
That prompted an unprecedented wave of mass protests, and his government responded with a violent crackdown, arresting and beating thousands. Opposition leaders have since been jailed or forced to flee the country.
