BELARUSIAN PROTESTS

Belarus, a tiny nation in Europe is seeing the worst of its days. Protests have been continuing for several days now and it is against the authoritarian regime of its dictator cum President Alexander Lukashenk. He has been the last dictator of Europe and he has been in power in since 1994. In June 2020 street protests took place and several opposition candidates were put behind the bars.

Protestors have been clashing against the regime of the president. Europen Union has threatened sanctions and still there is no fear in his mind.

Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled for 26 years, claimed he had won a landslide victory in an election marred by accusations of vote-rigging. The election commission announced on Monday that Lukashenko took 80.23% of the votes while his main opposition challenger Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who has held some of the country’s largest political rallies since the days of the Soviet Union, had only 9.9%.

Large protests broke out soon after the polls closed in Minsk, where a crowd of thousands gathered in the centre of the capital. A reporter for the Guardian saw police use water cannon against protesters and was fired on by rubber bullets. Opponents of Lukashenko chanted, “Leave!” Police made dozens of arrests. In one video, an army truck appeared to run into a protester.

Late Sunday evening, Tikhanovskaya issued a call to riot police to cease attacks on protestors and for an end to “provocations” by her own supporters. “I want to ask the militia and troops to remember that they are part of the people,” she said. “Please, stop the violence.”

Her campaign claimed to have won at a majority of polling stations in Minsk. Apparently protestors are demanding the resignation of the president cum dictator and the main opposition challenger has fled the country. And the country is in turmoil.

Pro-Tikhanovskaya voters said they wanted to see change, a popular slogan for the campaign, or thought that Lukashenko had overstayed his time in office. But many were pessimistic about the chances of the vote being counted fairly.

Zoya Vlasenko, a retired engineer, said she was voting against Lukashenko for her grandchildren’s sake. “I don’t want them to have to leave their homeland,” she said. Her oldest son has already left to work in the US. “But now there’s hope that my grandchildren can stay here.”

Others said they were angry about the arrests of activists and the threat of violence against the opposition. There were already signs of a crackdown in the runup to the vote, as armoured cars, water cannon and riot police were reported in the centre of Minsk near the presidential administration. Armed men had also been seen at highway entrances to the city.

In 2020, no one will accept such a regime and that is why they are on the streets. More reports to follow soon.