Hundreds of Thousands of Belarusians are protesting the election results reaffirming Lukashenko’s reign, could this be the collapse of his meticulously constructed dictatorship?
Alexander Lukashenko has been president of Belarus since it was released from the clutches of the Soviet Union, and they've just had their sixth election. Lukashenko claims to have won 80% of the vote, however it’s widely known that these are a far cry from the true figure. The EU has stated that Belarus’ elections are neither fair nor free; and the people of Belarus agree. Days after the election results were released, 100.000 protesters flooded Minsk (the capital of Belarus) to demand the resignation of the president. If this were to happen, it would mean the end of the last true dictatorship in Europe.
Lukashenko’s Dying Light.
Lukashenko has been president of Belarus since the collapse of the Soviet Union. He’s the man who uses secret police to make privacy an unobtainable luxury, he’s the man who puts journalists, minorities and the political 'dissidents' in prison, and yes; he’s the man who said that vodka, saunas & ice hockey cure coronavirus. The youngest generation of Belarus have never felt true freedom, they’ve only been able to glimpse at it through a crudely censored internet. This repression has led to a perfect symphony between fear, compliance and propaganda which resulted in Lukashenko’s presidency being uncontested. However, once Lukashenko had run the routine of locking up the other presidential candidates, one of their wives, Sviatlana Tsihkanouskaya, did not stay quiet. She promptly registered herself as a candidate for the election, with the blessings of other opposition leaders barred from the race, and if any candidate in the history of Belarus were to rival Lukashenko, it was her. Both young and old rallied around Sviatlana, her pure emotion spoke to the people who were never allowed to speak out themselves. This was going to mean the shackles of tyranny breaking, and more importantly ~ freedom.
A Step Too Far.
On the day of the election, the 9th of August 2020, eight of Tsikhanouskaya’s campaign managers were arrested, leading her to hide until a brief appearance at a voting station. Fearing her own safety, she fled to Lithuania. But surely, this woman who inspired so many had to have won? Well, the results were in, and she’d lost. Seeing red in the eyes of his people, Lukashenko ordered an internet blackout to contain the voices screaming for long-awaited liberty. If time has taught us anything, it’s that nothing can stop the truth behind a crumbling facade from spreading. Belarusians knew that the results had been tampered with, and they were going to make sure that the government wouldn’t try to pull the wool over their eyes again. Soon the streets were overflowing with protesters, setting to break down the walls of oppression for the sake of nine million people. A rally in support of Lukashenko was eclipsed by protests calling for his resignation, and even the state media couldn’t lie any longer. State TV staff joined the many government workers striking and demanding answers from the government.
Today.
Though it may seem like the end of a totalitarian dictatorship charading a democracy led by a tyrannical madman is just around the corner for the people of Belarus, this struggle will go on. Russia is likely going to send police to subdue the voice of liberty in order to prevent the new government joining the EU. In contrast, the Lithuanian prime minister called Sviatlana ‘The Leader of Belarus,’ as the EU places sanctions on Belarus to hurt their wallets. The EU, including Lithuania has good reason to back her presidency as it would mean greater stability in the region, and the reduced power of Putin's Russia.
At the end of the day, it’s all well and good placing external pressure on a government so desperately needing reform, but it’s only the people born of that oppression. Born of that injustice and into the paranoia brought on them by the state who can truly change the future for the incredible men, women and children of Belarus.
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