Belarus is scheduled to hold presidential elections on August 9 and President Alexander Lukashenko will be running for a sixth office term in the upcoming elections.
However, Belarus rarely seems to get its elections right. The 2019 parliamentary polls were largely controversial and preparations for the coming presidential polls have already been dented by human rights violations and stifling of opposition figures.
Who will be Challenging President Lukashenko?
After being under President Lukashenko’s rule for 26 years, Belarusians want a breath of fresh air, but the electoral body does not give opposition candidates a fair fighting chance, requiring that those who want to run for office must gather up to 100,00 signatures or get disqualified from running.
Fifty-five candidates applied to the Central Election Commission in Belarus for permission to participate in the election but only 15 were registered. They include former head of the financial institution, Belgazprombank, Viktor Babariko; the former head of the Belarusian IT hub Hi-Tech Park, Valeri Tsepkalo; and Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who joined the race in place of her husband, Sergei Tikhanovski who was banned from participating in the polls. These candidates could find support among moderate voters
Who Will Protect the People of Belarus?
Several arrests have been made in the run-up to the elections, preventing candidates from gathering enough signatures to enable them to run for office or curbing protesters from making demands. Since this precedent has been set, it raises concerns over whether the elections will be free and fair. There is also the notable absence of credible election observers.
Cause for More Worry?
Head of the Liberal Democratic Party, Oleg Gaydukevich recently stepped out of the race and threw his support behind President Lukashenko. This means Gaydukevich’s followers will give their votes to Lukashenko thereby increasing his chances of winning. While popularity surveys rank the incumbent poorly, experts say Lukashenko may be gearing up to use force to remain in power.
Belarus is one of the countries in the world that did not impose a lockdown despite having thousands of COVID-19 infections, no measures have been put in place on how voters will be protected while casting their votes.
