{"id":115309,"date":"2024-11-25T14:07:08","date_gmt":"2024-11-25T11:07:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/115309\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T13:35:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T13:35:32","slug":"police-ramp-up-intimidation-drills-ahead-of-election","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/115309\/","title":{"rendered":"Police ramp up intimidation drills ahead of election"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the lead-up to the January 21-26 election, the Belarusian government is using heavy-handed tactics, including police exercises and forced signature collection, to suppress opposition and cre-ate the appearance of broad public support for Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n\n Police drill in the run-up to Belarus\u2019 election\n <\/div>\n \n
\n (Telegram channel of the Ministry of Internal Affairs)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A terrific effort<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka said last week that the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus (FTUB)<\/strong>, a Soviet-style pro-government union with millions of members, saved him a lot of worry by agreeing to collect signatures for his nomination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Membership in the FTUB is compulsory in public-sector organizations and state-run companies, and refusal to sign in support of the incumbent often leads to dismissal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FTUB Chairman Juryj Sia\u0144ko<\/strong> announced that the union had collected 1,581,559 signatures.
\u0141uka\u0161enka praised him for the “terrific” achievement, expressing confidence that no pressure or coercion had been involved in the signature collection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t need it at all. We have to act very carefully in this direction to avoid unnecessary questions later,\u201d his press office quoted him as saying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, human rights defenders argue that the signature collection process is rife with coercion, including threats of dismissal from jobs and expulsion from student dormitories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contenders<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In addition to \u0141uka\u0161enka, Aleh Hajdukievi\u010d<\/strong>, Alaksandar Chi\u017eniak<\/strong>, Siarhiej Syranko\u016d<\/strong>, and former MP Hanna Kanapackaja<\/strong> must gather at least 100,000 voter signatures before December 6 to qualify for the race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kanapackaja is the only one who has an opposition background, while the others have professed their loyalty to the incumbent. If she is registered as a candidate, it could be an attempt to complicate the election process. It would also give \u0141uka\u0161enka an opportunity to claim victory over a woman in this \u201csingle-choice election\u201d after he refused to acknowledge his defeat to \u015aviat\u0142ana Cichano\u016dskaja<\/strong> in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forced Signatures and a False Choice<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The troubling reality of this election is that people are not only forced to sign for \u0141uka\u0161enka but also for his pseudo-competitors, creating the illusion of a more competitive race than actually exists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The collection of signatures for \u0141uka\u0161enka is designed to create the impression of massive support and set the stage for his official declaration of victory with a result of 80-85 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This process also serves as a tool to intimidate and humiliate opponents. Those who refuse to sign for him risk losing their jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fear-Mongering Drills<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies conducted large-scale exercises simulating scenarios similar to those from the 2020 protests and uprisings in other countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interior Minister Ivan Kubrako\u016d<\/strong>, who oversaw the drills, emphasized that authorities had learned lessons from the 2020 postelection protests. He claimed that \u201cqueues at polling stations in 2020 were allegedly artificially created to bring people into the streets and block roads.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, many Belarusians will recall that protests began after the polls closed when voters already had proof of electoral fraud and had been subjected to police brutality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No protests are expected on January 26, however. The exiled opposition has urged its supporters to stay safe and vote against all candidates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, state television networks have aired propaganda films alleging that exiled opponents have secret plans to invade Belarus with NATO’s help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The security forces, for their part, rehearsed a wide range of tactics to suppress unrest, including arresting demonstrators, extinguishing car fires, rescuing hostages and liberating towns supposedly captured by the opposition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n\n Police drill in the run-up to the elction\n <\/div>\n \n
\n (Telegram channel of the Ministry of Internal Affairs)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Police warned that the exercise would involve the movement of special vehicles, road closures and the use of firecrackers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the police flex their muscles, the propaganda seems increasingly absurd: If the entire nation supposedly supports \u0141uka\u0161enka, why is there a need to prepare for mass unrest?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Images of police in riot gear accompanied by barking dogs serve as a chilling reminder of the World War II Nazi occupation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike Soviet propaganda, which often painted a rosy picture of prosperity, \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s propaganda stokes fear and division.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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