Belarus holds first "elections" since 2020 protests
The Belarusian opposition has called for a boycott of the vote to elect parliamentarians and local councils in Belarus on Sunday 25 February, which will take place without the presence of international observers.
Source: European Pravda
Details: These are Belarus' first nationwide "elections" since the outbreak of mass political repression three and a half years ago.
The authorities in Minsk decided not to invite international observers, particularly those from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The OSCE responded with "deep regret".
Since his election in 1994, self-proclaimed President Alexander Lukashenko has gradually reduced the power of the Belarusian parliament.
Lukashenko claimed he won a sixth presidential term in 2020 in a vote that the United States and the European Union deemed rigged.
Then an unprecedented wave of protests erupted in Belarus, prompting the authorities to respond with widespread repressions that continue to this day.
Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the Belarusian opposition leader who is now in exile, urged citizens to boycott the vote.
Tikhanovskaya’s team has called for participation in the online marathon "I Choose New Belarus!", which will discuss "how to move from the dictatorship of deception and fear to the country we all dream of".
On 20 February, Lukashenko convened his security apparatus in Minsk, claiming that the West intends to draw Belarus into the war "by hook or crook".
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