Belarusian authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko announced that he will participate in the presidential elections in Belarus, which will take place in 2025, meaning he will run for an eighth consecutive term.
"I will run, I will run, I will run. Tell them that I will run!" Lukashenko responded on Sunday to a question about his participation in the future elections, referring to opposition figures abroad. "And the more difficult the situation becomes, the more active they are in stirring up our society... the more they strain you, me, and society, the sooner I will go to these elections," Lukashenko's words were quoted by the official BelTA news agency. On Sunday, he participated in voting in the lower house of the Belarusian parliament.
Opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya called for a boycott, claiming it was a farce. The election campaign is taking place against the backdrop of massive repression. There are no independent observers in the elections, and opposition candidates have been barred by Lukashenko.
This year marks 30 years since Lukashenko, after winning the presidential elections for the first time, took office as the leader of Belarus. Lukashenko himself will turn 70 this year.
In 2020, he was also declared the winner of the vote, which, according to the opposition, was completely falsified. Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians participated in protests against the official election results, numerous street clashes occurred, hundreds of people were thrown behind bars, and several people died. Lukashenko's regime remained in power, many opposition leaders and activists were forced into exile, while others were arrested and sentenced to long prison terms. The United States and several other countries have not recognized Lukashenko as the legitimate president, although they maintain diplomatic relations with the official authorities in Minsk.
The Belarusian authorities support Russia in the war against Ukraine, but do not directly participate in it. Numerous sanctions have been imposed against Belarus due to the suppression of protests in 2020 and assistance to Russia in the invasion of Ukraine.
