Belarusians headed to the polls this past Sunday to vote for president, but the outcome is a foregone conclusion: Long-reigning autocrat Alyaksandr Lukashenka has rigged the playing field to guarantee a seventh term. Fearing a repeat of the 2020 contest — when accusations of ballot rigging triggered massive protests — Lukashenka has ratcheted up repression and barred any real competition. Though he has ruthlessly silenced all opposition, he has not extinguished the people’s desire for change.
The following Journal of Democracy essays, free for a limited time, chronicle Belarus’s 2020 postelection protests and offer insights into how democratic opposition movements can respond to sham contests.
How to Compete in Unfair Elections
Opposition movements often boycott rigged polls rather than risk legitimizing an autocrat. It is usually a mistake. Here is the playbook for how one opposition seized the advantage.
Alyena BaturaBelarus Uprising: How a Dictator Became Vulnerable
In a country where opposition forces were long marginalized and there was little threat to the dictator’s rule, Belarus’s 2020 antirevolutionary protest movement has changed the game.
Lucan A. WayBelarus Uprising: The Making of a Revolution
Well-organized demonstrations are rocking Lukashenka’s 26-year-old dictatorship. Inside the movement and why it rose when it did.
Sławomir Sierakowski
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