{"id":82034,"date":"2024-04-25T14:27:09","date_gmt":"2024-04-25T11:27:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/82034\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T13:35:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T13:35:32","slug":"lukasenka-predictably-becomes-chairman-of-all-belarusian-peoples-assembly","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/82034\/","title":{"rendered":"\u0141uka\u0161enka predictably becomes chairman of All-Belarusian People’s Assembly"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka ran the show like a boss. On April 24, carefully selected delegates voted to elect him chairman of the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly (UNS). From now on the ruler will sit on two chairs. He will probably try to keep this position after the 2025 presidential election, just in case.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n \"\"\n
\n
\n\n \u0141uka\u0161enka at the All-Belarusian People's Assembly on April 24\n <\/div>\n \n
\n (Pul Pervogo)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

During the first session, \u0141uka\u0161enka was in a good mood, joking and interrupting the moderator. In general, he seemed to enjoy himself, probably feeling like a star scriptwriter, director and main character in one person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only one delegate voted against him. That was probably also in his script, just to show at least a glimmer of pluralism. Or maybe, despite the careful selection, someone misbehaved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In any case, \u0141uka\u0161enka playfully said that he knew who voted against him \u2013 Natalla Ka\u010danava \u2013 in a joke that the head of the Council of the Republic might have not appreciated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Yes, Lukashists have gathered here”<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The propaganda is doing its best these days to convince the public that nothing in the world is more democratic than the UNS, despite the fact that its delegates were not elected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Belarusian ruler described it as the “Slavic veche in its modern form.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He admitted that it was a gathering of his stalwarts: “Yes, Lukashists have gathered here. There are and will be no enemies here.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEnemies\u201d was obviously a reference to hundreds of thousands of people who protested against election fraud in 2020 and those who did not join demonstrations but supported the demonstrators, those who were imprisoned, those who were forced into exile and those who went into hiding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who yearn for political change are also citizens of Belarus. Under the Constitution, they have the same rights as the loyalists. But these people have been deprived of their civil rights in the name of \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stories from besieged fortress<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In general, \u0141uka\u0161enka’s speech focused on international politics. It was a Bolshevik tradition to begin every speech with rant about the complicated international situation and the enemy’s intrigues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka railed against American imperialism, NATO, Europe and Ukraine. According to him, Washington is stirring up conflicts all over the world for the sake of profits to maintain its global dominance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Soviet-type man, he sticks to communist traditions. He needs an image of a besieged fortress to defend Russian aggression and his alliance with Moscow, as well as his complicity in the war against Ukraine. We were forced to defend ourselves in this way, he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also has to justify political reprisals and the militaristic fever in the country – there is no time for sweet talk when the enemy is at your doorstep. And the sanctions imposed by the haters can explain why the standard of living is not as good as we would like it to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And while the enemies are supposedly preparing to attack, \u0141uka\u0161enka can easily present himself as a wise and strong guardian of peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Usurper turned savior<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Finally, it is extremely important for him to impose his view on the 2020 developments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He denies that people can have an agency to advocate for themselves and claims that Washington was behind the protests and that the spontaneous self-organization of society followed its script.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He claimed that “there were no real social reasons for the rebellion and revolutionary moods.\u201d Apparently, in his view, only starving proletariat can rise against the government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indeed, Belarusians were not starving in 2020. People took to the street because they felt their votes had been stolen and because they were outraged by police brutality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka repeated his false claim that NATO was preparing to invade Belarus in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“They were counting on chaos and blitzkrieg. Had it not been for the resilience and courage of true patriots, we would have lost the country. If we had not stood firm then, the NATO hawks would have already been near Smolensk,” he claimed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his story, he is not a manipulator clinging to power by force, but the savior of his country from an apocalypse and the savior of Russia from NATO troops in Smolensk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Loyalists will rubberstamp anything<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What’s next? The UNS delegates approved a military doctrine without any objections. Propaganda portrays this ritual as people’s involvement in making strategic decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some officials, roughly one-third of the UNS, were certainly involved in drafting these papers. Ordinary delegates from the provinces received the papers in briefcases for participants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is hard to imagine that any of them can challenge anything. They will rubberstamp whatever is on the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judging by its line-up, the UNS Presidium is a nominal body, just like the UNS itself, and the big boss will only skim the cream from his new status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A time bomb?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

“We, myself included, are first of all the generation of outgoing politicians. And I really hoped and hope that when we are gone, you, the UNS, will hold this country together,” said \u0141uka\u0161enka, outlining the mission of the body, which actually has meaningful powers under the new Constitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As long as the ruler is fit, he will try to keep all power in his hands by holding two key positions, thus eliminating the risk of a clash between the head of state and the UNS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, \u0141uka\u0161enka will not last forever. When he is gone, such a conflict is quite likely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, the next leader may want to at least partially ease tension in society and in the country\u2019s relations with the West and open up the economy. UNS hardliners may try to challenge it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After \u0141uka\u0161enka is gone, a pro-Russian party in power might try to completely surrender the country to Moscow. Others might resist for fear that the Russians would take everything away from them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s add to the equation the parliament, which had some of its powers transferred to the UNS. To a certain extent, the UNS is now duplicating some of its functions. After \u0141uka\u0161enka is gone, this can also be a source of tension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka has built a perfect, in its own way, personalistic system. As many analysts have noted, the UNS looks like the fifth wheel in this cart and can break the harmony of his dictatorship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is not so important whether it was Moscow that pushed \u0141uka\u0161enka to rewrite the Constitution or whether he made a mess of it himself. In the end, the incumbent unwittingly places a time bomb under his own system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, it is quite possible that he is hoping that the next president will also be \u0141uka\u0161enka. And then no problem, just a new iteration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u0141uka\u0161enka ran the show like a boss. On April 24, carefully selected delegates voted to elect him chairman of the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly (UNS). From now on the ruler will sit on two chairs. He will probably try to keep this position after the 2025 presidential election, just in case. During the first session, \u0141uka\u0161enka […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":87,"featured_media":81889,"template":"","rubric":[24],"class_list":["post-82034","longreads","type-longreads","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","rubric-theviewer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\u0141uka\u0161enka predictably becomes chairman of All-Belarusian People's Assembly | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u0141uka\u0161enka ran the show like a boss. 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