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Belarus: presidential under pressure, Lukashenko widely in the lead

2020-08-09T18:58:21.819Z


The current president would have obtained nearly 80% of the vote this Sunday, according to an official poll carried out at the exit of the polls. But the ballot


The one who is called the last dictator in Europe is on the way to continuing his absolute reign. The current president of Belarus - according to the official name of Belarus - Alexander Lukashenko, would have obtained 79.7% of the votes in the presidential election this Sunday, according to an official poll carried out at the exit of the polling stations. The surprise opposition candidate, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, would have obtained only 6.8% of the vote in a context of great tensions and strong mobilization of voters.

Unprecedented mobilization against Lukashenko

While most polling stations closed at 8 p.m. local time, some were allowed to remain open due to the crowds. "I hope that the vote will end without a hitch as well" in these places, declared on public television the president of the Electoral Commission, Lidia Ermochina.

The electoral campaign was marked by an unprecedented mobilization against President Alexander Lukashenko, 65, including 26 in power. The last dictator in Europe is particularly criticized for his management of the coronavirus crisis. The final results must be announced in the evening or at night.

Long queues of voters

“Provocation”, “sabotage”… such are the terms used by the Belarusian electoral commission to denounce the long queues of voters, less than two hours before the polls close. Impressive lines formed in front of many polling stations, and even in front of the Belarusian embassy in Moscow.

The head of the Electoral Commission accused the “protesting electorate” of occupying the voting booths for too long, so that the polling stations were overwhelmed. "It's a real sabotage, an organized provocation", she was indignant, according to remarks broadcast on television, "it is what led to these long queues".

"Shameless frauds"

Candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who mobilized the crowds during the campaign, called on Belarusians not to take advantage of the early voting which took place from Tuesday to Saturday, but to vote en masse on Sunday to reduce the risk of fraud, arguing more difficult to falsify the ballots in the hours preceding the count.

The stay-at-home mother said that she had no illusions about the result since "shameless fraud" had already been perpetrated at the time of the early voting. Without forgetting that the number of independent observers has been reduced to the strict minimum. For their part, France, Germany and Poland called for a “free and fair” ballot.

Police mobilized, Internet cut

Supporters of the unexpected Svetlana Tikhanovskaya have been the victims of severe repression. Columns of vehicles of the troops of the Ministry of the Interior and the Police, with anti-riot equipment, were also deployed in large numbers in Minsk, especially around the seat of government where the Election Commission is also located.

#Belarus. I managed to take this short video when the area was already closed (that's why I couldn't go closer). It is near the building of the president's administration in #Minsk. All signs that this won't be quite an elegant victory of Aleksandr #Lukashenko pic.twitter.com/spPy0I8bpJ

- Hanna Liubakova (@HannaLiubakova) August 9, 2020

Internet communications and social networks were extremely slow or even inaccessible Sunday afternoon, while the authorities warned against any mobilization in the streets after the election.

In the streets of the capital, from buildings and cars, opposition supporters resounded two songs that had become hymns of regime critics: Peremen (Change), by Soviet rocker Viktor Tsoï, as well as the Belarusian version of an anti-Franco song, L'Estaca.

An ally of the opponent arrested the day before

The opposition campaign leader was once again arrested on the eve of the election, like Maria Kolesnikova, a leading ally of Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. Since the spring, the Belarusian authorities have stepped up operations against the opponents of Alexander Lukashenko, in power for more than a quarter of a century.

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At 37, Svetlana Tikhanovskaïa, an English teacher by training, launched into the election in place of her husband Sergei. The anti-power blogger was jailed in May after calling Lukashenko a “cockroach”. Still unknown a few weeks ago, the young woman had promised to stay only six months in power the time to organize free elections.

Source: leparis

All news articles on 2020-08-09

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