This August, Aliaksandr Lukashenko will seek re-election as president of Belarus for the sixth time in a row. Although the campaign is only starting to take off, it has already proven to be the most interesting in the state’s recent history. Lukashenka is facing genuine resistance to his rule and, it seems, has made several mistakes in dealing with his opponents – bad election timing, counter-productive violence and stirring up another source of tension with Russia. The question is: could these mistakes help bring about a long-awaited democratisation in the country?
OP-ED
Yahor Azarkevich: Lukashenko’s mistakes bring Belarus closer to democratisation
Opposition supporters attend a gathering to support candidates seeking to challenge President Alexander Lukashenko during the upcoming presidential elections in Minsk on June 19, 2020.
