Belarus is preparing for its first elections since 2020, when the country's security forces brutally suppressed rallies against the results of the presidential election and protesters became violent.Local councils and the Belarusian parliament's lower house, the House of Representatives, are being elected this month.
The newly elected regional and national administrations will then appoint a new body, the All-Belarusian People's Assembly.
The People's Assembly was rewritten last year to suit Alexander Lukashenko, who refers to it as “the highest body of democracy”.
The assembly will have 1,200 delegates, but Lukashenko, who will serve as the body's chair, will ultimately be in charge of appointing the assembly's leadership committee, also known as the "praesidium", which may consist of up to 15 members.In addition to serving as a significant stress test for Belarusian authorities leading up to the 2025 presidential campaign, these elections and the establishment of this new institution will mark a turning point in the totalitarian development of the Lukashenko dictatorship.
Who are the candidates?
There are three candidates for the presidency.
Alexander Radkov
Alexander Radkov is the current leader of the Belaya Rus party, and was previously the minister of education and the deputy head of the presidential administration.
Belaya Rus is a political movement that staunchly supports President Lukashenko. Following the presidential election in May 2006, the European Union and the United States of America placed Alexander Radkov on a list of individuals and organisations sanctioned for human rights breaches in Belarus, and imposed a travel ban and asset freeze on him.
He was subjected to the same penalties following the 2010 presidential election.
As the first deputy head of the presidential administration and the former minister of education, he closed the European Humanities University, ordered the repression of opposition students, and organised students to force them to vote for the regime in accordance with the decision of the European Council on October 15, 2012.
Aleksey Sokol
Aleksey Sokol is a 50-year-old politician who was chosen to serve as the Communist Party of Belarus's first secretary of the Central Committee on May 14, 2017.
He joined the Constitutional Commission on March 15, 2021, to carry out the decision made by the sixth All-Belarusian People's Assembly. The commission creates draft amendments to the Belarusian Constitution and facilitates national debate on them.
Oleg Gaidukevich
Oleg Gaidukevich is the chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party and, since 2019, a member of the LDP Supreme Council.
Gaidukevich was included to the European Union's Black List on June 21, 2021, because he "made public statements welcoming the rerouting of passenger flight FR4978 to Minsk on May 23, 2021", according to the EU ruling.
The UK, Canada, and Switzerland are some of the countries that have taken measures against Gaidukevich due to the blacklisting.
How does voting work?
The president and the legislature are chosen nationally in Belarus. The people choose the president to serve a five-year term.
Not less than 10 days prior to the elections, precinct election commissions inform voters of the location and time of voting.On election day, polls open at 8am and close at 8pm.Voters may cast their ballots up to five days prior to the general election, provided they are unable to do so on the day of the election.
Based on the procedures of the Minsk City Election Commission and the oblast (area) election commissions, the Central Election Commission determines the winner of a presidential election at its meeting within 10 days of the polls closing.
