Belarus president accuses West of interference for Feb. 25 elections

President Lukashenko claims Western countries aim to destabilize Belarus after parliamentary elections, while opposition leader-in-exile calls the vote a ‘cynical farce’

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, who has been in power for nearly three decades, claimed that the West would seek to utilize “new triggers” to destabilize society following the Feb. 25 elections.

Early voting began Tuesday for the tightly controlled parliamentary and local elections, where only candidates aligned with Lukashenko’s political stance were permitted to participate. Most contenders are from the four officially registered parties, all of which endorse Lukashenko’s policies: Belaya Rus, the Communist Party, the Liberal Democratic Party, and the Party of Labor and Justice.

This marks Belarus’ first election since the contentious 2020 presidential vote that secured Lukashenko his sixth term and sparked unprecedented mass protests.

He accused the West on Tuesday of attempting to incite protests during this month’s parliamentary and local elections to undermine his regime.

The Viasna Human Rights Center reported Tuesday the death of Ihar Lednik, a leader of the opposition Social Democratic Party, at the age of 64 while in prison. Lednik, serving a three-year sentence for defaming Lukashenko, passed away from cardiac arrest following a prison surgery.

Lukashenko claimed that Western nations were considering plans for a coup in Belarus or attempting to seize power by force. He alleged, without providing evidence, that Polish authorities, in particular, might resort to blackmail and threats to persuade senior Belarusian officials to defect.

Source: Newsroom

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