In The Spotlight: The Belarus boss and his accidental defier

Published on 22-Aug-2020

Khushboo Razdan

"We held the elections and until you kill me, there won't be any new elections," said Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on August 17 during his visit to a state-owned factory in Minsk in response to the chants of "leave!" by a group of workers.

The "leave chorus" was not in isolation; thousands of protesters flooded the streets of Minsk demanding the resignation of the leader who has been ruling the country for 26 years.

Lukashenko's claims of a landslide victory with 80 percent of vote, securing him a sixth term in office, culminated in the biggest protests the country had ever seen, with the opposition accusing him of "stealing the election" and using "excessive force to suppress peaceful demonstrations."

Allegations of a rigged election, followed by unprecedented mass protests have thrown Lukashenko into the spotlight. Dubbed by Western media as the "last European dictator," the "most Soviet-like remaining leader" was once hailed as a statesman for playing a pivotal role in the country's economic success after acceding to power in 1994, a year after Belarus declared independence from the Soviet Union.

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