Łukašenka credits election commission for “genuine democracy”

December 4, Pozirk. Alaksandar Łukašenka, in power since 1994 and running for the seventh term in January, has congratulated the central election commission (CEC) on its 35th anniversary.

“Largely due to your efforts, the elections in Belarus have become an instrument of genuine democracy, the main form of manifestation of the sovereignty of our people, an expression of their political will,” his press office quoted the message. “The strict observance of law by the CEC helps ensure political stability, preserve civil peace and harmony.”

The Belarusian ruler has controlled the central election commission since 1996, and is suspected of rigging every election and referendum since then.

Viktar Hančar, a politician who attempted to defend the commission’s independence in 1996, was reportedly murdered by a government-run death squad in 1999.

The European Union imposed entry bans on CEC head Ihar Karpienka in June 2022. The United States sanctioned Karpienka, CEC Secretary Alena Bałdoŭskaja and several other members in March 2023.

The CEC operates permanently with a five-year mandate. Its 12 members were appointed in December 2021.

The presidiums of regional and Minsk city elected councils and executive committees jointly recommend candidates to Łukašenka for approval.

Belarus will hold its seventh presidential election from January 21 to 26, with the whole election cycle limited to just three months. The previous 2020 presidential race was marred by police brutality against peaceful protesters.

The current presidential campaign is taking place in a purged political landscape amid a new wave of crackdown on regime critics. The ongoing politically-motivated reprisals are hampering Łukašenka’s attempts to present the upcoming election as competitive, rights defenders say.