Belarusian Presidential Election: Towards Dependence on Russia
Belarusian Presidential Election: Towards Dependence on Russia

Author(s): Anna Maria Dyner
Subject(s): Politics, Governance, International relations/trade, Electoral systems
Published by: PISM Polski Instytut Spraw Międzynarodowych
Keywords: Belarus; president; elections; Russia; dependence;
Summary/Abstract: On post-election night, the Belarusian authorities brutally pacified the county’s largest protests in over 20 years, which expressed opposition to the falsification of election results and dissatisfaction of Belarusians with the current president. According to preliminary official results, Alexander Lukashenka received over 80% of the vote, while his main opponent, Svetlana Cichanouska, got only 9.9%. The pacification of the protests means that dialogue with the EU and the U.S. is likely to stop, which in turn will weaken the Belarusian position towards Russia, threatening to further undermine Belarusian independence.

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