Belarusian opposition denounces Lukashenko and Sunday's election

Since the protests in 2020 the Lukashenko government has brutally repressed political opponents.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatch LiveHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewsletters'A performance and a sham': Belarusian opposition denounces election14 hours agoSarah RainsfordBBC Eastern Europe correspondentEuropean Pressphoto AgencyIn 2020 hundreds of thousands of Belarusians took to the streets to protest. In 2025 demonstrations are unlikelySvetlana Tikhanovskaya refuses to call what's happening this weekend in Belarus an election.

"It's a sham," the exiled opposition leader says. "This is a military-style operation; a performance staged by the regime to hold on to power."

For three decades, the country has been led by an increasingly authoritarian Alexander Lukashenko, now firmly backed by Vladimir Putin who makes use of his neighbour in his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

This Sunday, Belarusians will see Lukashenko's name on the ballot paper once again, with four other names chosen carefully to be no challenge.

No independent observers are allowed.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g9dld4pejo

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