{"id":128517,"date":"2025-03-04T12:27:56","date_gmt":"2025-03-04T09:27:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/128517\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"rights-defenders-january-poll-instrumentalized-to-extend-lukasenkas-30-year-rule","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/128517\/","title":{"rendered":"Rights defenders: January poll instrumentalized to extend \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s 30-year rule \u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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March 4, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> Belarusian authorities directed every stage of the electoral process to “keep Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka in power while imitating his broad popular support” at Belarus’ seventh presidential election in January, says<\/a> the final report by the Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2025 election took place amid a human rights crisis that has been ongoing since the crackdown on the 2020 postelection protests, it noted. Politically-motivated reprisals keep targeting former presidential hopefuls, observers, activists and ordinary Belarusians who supported the nomination of independent candidates five years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, candidates did not have equal opportunities since the authorities scheduled the 2025 election six months ahead of the expected date to suit their political purposes with only seven days available to register initiative groups to nominate presidential candidates, the report said. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarus\u2019 election authorities declared \u0141uka\u0161enka, in power since 1994, winner with 86.82 percent of the vote after a poll that took place in a purged political landscape amid a new wave of crackdown on regime critics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Established in 2008, the Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections includes the Viasna Human Rights Center and the Belarusian Helsinki Committee election monitors. This year, the campaign worked remotely over security threats for independent observers and the crackdown on civil society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The election drew severe criticism for the lack of transparency and repressive environment as a number of democratic countries and exiled Belarusian opposition dismissed it as a sham. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The country has not held a single free and fair election since 1996 by the standards of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Czech committee rejects Belarus\u2019 election, declares support for pro-democracy movement<\/h3>\n
February 20, Pozirk. The Czech Chamber of Deputies\u2019 foreign affairs committee has passed a resolution dismissing presidential elections in Belarus as invalid. It does not recognize Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka as a legally elected president and calls on his regime to allow …<\/div>\n \n