2020 Belarusian presidential election

2020 Belarusian presidential election
User:Radiotrefoil User:Firdavs Kulolov User:EUvin · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Country	Belarus
Type	presidential
Previous election	2015 Belarusian presidential election
Previous year	2015
Next election	2025 Belarusian presidential election
Next year	2025
Election date	9 August 2020
Turnout	84.2%
Candidate1	Alexander Lukashenko
Party1	Independent
Popular vote1	4,661,075
Percentage1	80.1%
Candidate2	Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya
Party2	Independent
Popular vote2	588,622
Percentage2	10.1%
Title	President
Before election	Alexander Lukashenko
Before party	Independent
After election	Alexander Lukashenko
After party	Independent

2020 Belarusian presidential election was held on 9 August 2020 in the Republic of Belarus. The incumbent, Alexander Lukashenko, who had held the presidency since 1994, sought a sixth term. The election was marked by unprecedented public mobilization against Lukashenko's rule, galvanized by the candidacy of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who entered the race after her husband, Sergei Tikhanovsky, a popular YouTube blogger, was arrested. Official results gave Lukashenko a landslide victory, but they were widely rejected as fraudulent by the opposition, domestic observers, and the international community, triggering a prolonged political crisis.

Background

The political climate in Belarus prior to the vote was defined by Alexander Lukashenko's 26-year authoritarian rule, economic stagnation, and a dismissive government response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Belarus. Lukashenko's previous elections, such as the 2010 Belarusian presidential election and the 2015 Belarusian presidential election, had been criticized by organizations like the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe for failing to meet democratic standards. Growing public discontent coalesced in 2020, fueled by frustration over systemic corruption, stagnant wages, and the administration's handling of the pandemic. The decision by potential rivals like Viktor Babariko, a former head of Belgazprombank, and Valery Tsepkalo, a former ambassador to the United States, to challenge Lukashenko energized the opposition, though both were subsequently barred from running by the Central Election Commission.

Candidates and campaign

The registered candidates included the incumbent Alexander Lukashenko and Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who united the campaigns of the jailed Viktor Babariko and exiled Valery Tsepkalo. Other nominal candidates included Anna Kanopatskaya of the Belarusian Christian Democracy party, Andrey Dmitriyev of the Talka movement, and Sergei Cherechen, a pro-government politician. Tsikhanouskaya's campaign, managed by figures like Maria Kolesnikova and Veronika Tsepkalo, focused on demands for new free and fair elections and the release of political prisoners. It drew massive crowds to rallies in Minsk, Grodno, and Brest, unseen since the Dissolution of the Soviet Union. Lukashenko's campaign dismissed the opposition as backed by foreign powers and warned of instability, while state media like Belarus 1 provided him overwhelmingly positive coverage.

Conduct and allegations of fraud

The voting process and subsequent count were marred by widespread allegations of fraud. Independent monitoring groups like Honest People and Zvyano reported numerous violations, including lack of transparency during early voting, ballot stuffing, and coercion of state employees. On election night, internet access across Belarus was severely restricted, with platforms like Telegram and Twitter being blocked. The official results, announced by the Central Election Commission chaired by Lidia Yermoshina, gave Lukashenko over 80% of the vote, a figure immediately contested. Key evidence cited by observers included wildly implausible turnout figures from some precincts and mathematically inconsistent protocols. The opposition released data from parallel vote counts suggesting Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was the actual winner.

Protests and aftermath

The disputed results sparked immediate and sustained nationwide protests, the largest in Belarusian history. Mass demonstrations occurred in Independence Square and Pobediteley Avenue in Minsk, as well as in cities like Gomel and Vitebsk. Security forces, including the Internal Troops of Belarus and OMON, responded with severe brutality, using rubber bullets, stun grenades, and water cannons. Thousands were detained, with reports of torture in facilities like Okrestina prison. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was forced into exile in Lithuania, while other leaders like Maria Kolesnikova were imprisoned. The protests evolved into a broader movement demanding Lukashenko's resignation, symbolized by the widespread display of the historic White-red-white flag. A severe crackdown continued for months, targeting independent media like Tut.By and the Belarusian Association of Journalists.

International reactions

The international response was largely condemnatory of the conduct and results. The European Union, led by figures like Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen, refused to recognize Lukashenko as legitimate and imposed successive rounds of sanctions on officials and entities, including the Belarusian State Concern for Oil and Chemistry. The United States, under the Trump administration and later the Biden administration, similarly imposed sanctions. The United Nations Human Rights Council established a fact-finding mission to investigate abuses. In contrast, Lukashenko received steadfast support from traditional ally Russia; President Vladimir Putin promised military and economic support under the Union State framework. Other nations like Venezuela and Syria recognized the official results, while China called for non-interference in Belarus's internal affairs.

Category:2020 elections in Belarus Category:Presidential elections in Belarus Category:August 2020 events in Europe