{"id":11329,"date":"2022-01-13T14:16:29","date_gmt":"2022-01-13T11:16:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/api.pozirk.online\/longreads\/belarusian-authorities-use-kazakhstan-developments-to-justify-crackdown-analysis\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T20:29:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T20:29:13","slug":"belarusian-authorities-use-kazakhstan-developments-to-justify-crackdown-analysis","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11329\/","title":{"rendered":"Belarusian authorities use Kazakhstan developments to justify crackdown \u2013 analysis"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n By Aliaksandr Klasko\u016dski, BPN<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n Belarusian propaganda has defended the government crackdown on protesters in Kazakhstan, drawing parallels with Belarus and crediting Aliaksandr Luka\u0161enka for being tough on his opponents. Analysts say that the surprise revolt in Kazakhstan earlier this month may prompt the Belarusian leader to postpone a constitutional referendum.<\/b>\n<\/p>\n

Kazakhstan overshadows migrant crisis, constitutional reform<\/span> <\/h2>\n

\n\t Kazakhstan coverage eclipsed Belarus\u2019 migrant crisis and constitutional reform in the Belarusian state media reports, said Andrej Jelisieje\u016d, director of the Warsaw-based EAST think tank, in an interview with BPN.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Propaganda has made the point that Belarus\u2019 protests would have escalated into violence if Luka\u0161enka lacked resolve. State television networks portray the Belarusian ruler as the most successful leader in the Commonwealth of Independent States who shares his experience in fighting color revolutions with other leaders.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t And Luka\u0161enka has not missed the opportunity to take credit himself. \u201cTime has shown that our young sovereign state can find effective responses to any challenges, if needed,\u201d he said, speaking in Minsk on January 11.\n<\/p>\n

Oppression and populism<\/span> <\/h2>\n

\n\t The Belarusian authorities have used the developments in Kazakhstan to justify repressive internal policies, Paviel Usa\u016d, of the Warsaw-based Center for Political Analysis and Prognosis, told BPN. State media have been driving home the idea that Belarusians do not want Kazakhstan-like violence in their streets, he noted.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t He added that authorities may soon take some populist steps, including measures to fight corruption.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t An anti-corruption message helped Luka\u0161enka rise to prominence in the early 1990s and win the 1994 presidential election. However, his reputation as a selfless Robin Hood is in tatters amid opposition media scrutiny on his activity. Anti-corruption rhetoric would be a hard sell.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t The regime is short of cash to shore up public support through pay increases as it struggles in the face of Western sanctions and reduced economic assistance from Moscow.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Minsk might use Kazakhstan\u2019s developments to \u201cbreak the ice\u201d in relations with the West, at least at an informal level, Usa\u016d said.\n<\/p>\n

Referendum unlikely to be canceled<\/span> <\/h2>\n

\n\t Luka\u0161enka is unlikely to cancel the constitutional referendum scheduled for late February, but he may postpone it until the end of the year, Usa\u016d said. He will remain in his job and will also take charge of the All-Belarusian People\u2019s Assembly, he predicted and added that the Belarusian ruler will not go for a deep transformation of the political system.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t The Belarusian leader has never intended to follow Nursultan Nazarbayev\u2019s footsteps by transferring power to a successor, said Jeliseje\u016d.\n<\/p>\n

Quick transition<\/span> <\/h2>\n

\n\t The constitution that is likely to be enacted as a result of the referendum would allow Luka\u0161enka to run for at least two more five-year presidential terms after completing the current stint in 2025.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t He will consolidate his power if he becomes chairman of the All-Belarusian People\u2019s Assembly, a new superstructure.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t The constitution would lay the groundwork for quick power transition from Luka\u0161enka to his youngest son Mikalaj, Jeliseje\u016d said.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t He might do it after two or three presidential terms. \u201cI think Luka\u0161enka Sr. seriously considers this scenario,\u201d he told BelaPAN.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Although the new constitution would raise the minimum age for presidents from 35 to 40 years, it would empower the All-Belarusian People\u2019s Assembly to amend the basic law. So, age would not be a problem for Mikalaj Luka\u0161enka, born in August 2004, Jeliseje\u016d said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Aliaksandr Klasko\u016dski, BPN Belarusian propaganda has defended the government crackdown on protesters in Kazakhstan, drawing parallels with Belarus and crediting Aliaksandr Luka\u0161enka for being tough on his opponents. Analysts say that the surprise revolt in Kazakhstan earlier this month may prompt the Belarusian leader to postpone a constitutional referendum. Kazakhstan overshadows migrant crisis, constitutional […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":0,"template":"","rubric":[22],"class_list":["post-11329","longreads","type-longreads","status-publish","hentry","rubric-theviewer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBelarusian authorities use Kazakhstan developments to justify crackdown \u2013 analysis | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"By Aliaksandr Klasko\u016dski, BPN Belarusian propaganda has defended the government crackdown on protesters in Kazakhstan, drawing parallels with Belarus and\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11329\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Belarusian authorities use Kazakhstan developments to justify crackdown \u2013 analysis | Pozirk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Aliaksandr Klasko\u016dski, BPN Belarusian propaganda has defended the government crackdown on protesters in Kazakhstan, drawing parallels with Belarus and\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11329\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pozirk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pozirkonline\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-24T20:29:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Pozirk_online\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11329\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11329\/\"},\"headline\":\"Belarusian authorities use Kazakhstan developments to justify crackdown \u2013 analysis\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-01-13T11:16:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-24T20:29:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11329\/\"},\"wordCount\":566,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11329\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11329\/\",\"name\":\"Belarusian authorities use Kazakhstan developments to justify crackdown \u2013 analysis | Pozirk\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-01-13T11:16:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-24T20:29:13+00:00\",\"description\":\"By Aliaksandr Klasko\u016dski, BPN Belarusian propaganda has defended the government crackdown on protesters in Kazakhstan, drawing parallels with Belarus and\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11329\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11329\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11329\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Belarusian authorities use Kazakhstan developments to justify crackdown \u2013 analysis\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Pozirk\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Pozirk\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/cropped-Logo_color_512.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/cropped-Logo_color_512.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Pozirk\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pozirkonline\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/Pozirk_online\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Belarusian authorities use Kazakhstan developments to justify crackdown \u2013 analysis | Pozirk","description":"By Aliaksandr Klasko\u016dski, BPN Belarusian propaganda has defended the government crackdown on protesters in Kazakhstan, drawing parallels with Belarus and","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11329\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Belarusian authorities use Kazakhstan developments to justify crackdown \u2013 analysis | Pozirk","og_description":"By Aliaksandr Klasko\u016dski, BPN Belarusian propaganda has defended the government crackdown on protesters in Kazakhstan, drawing parallels with Belarus and","og_url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11329\/","og_site_name":"Pozirk","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pozirkonline\/","article_modified_time":"2026-02-24T20:29:13+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@Pozirk_online","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11329\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11329\/"},"headline":"Belarusian authorities use Kazakhstan developments to justify crackdown \u2013 analysis","datePublished":"2022-01-13T11:16:29+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-24T20:29:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11329\/"},"wordCount":566,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization"},"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11329\/","url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11329\/","name":"Belarusian authorities use Kazakhstan developments to justify crackdown \u2013 analysis | Pozirk","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#website"},"datePublished":"2022-01-13T11:16:29+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-24T20:29:13+00:00","description":"By Aliaksandr Klasko\u016dski, BPN Belarusian propaganda has defended the government crackdown on protesters in Kazakhstan, drawing parallels with Belarus and","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11329\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11329\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11329\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Belarusian authorities use Kazakhstan developments to justify crackdown \u2013 analysis"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/","name":"Pozirk","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#organization","name":"Pozirk","url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/cropped-Logo_color_512.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/cropped-Logo_color_512.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Pozirk"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pozirkonline\/","https:\/\/x.com\/Pozirk_online"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/longreads\/11329","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/longreads"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/longreads"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/75"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"rubric","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rubric?post=11329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}