Pro-Lukashenko forces top ballot after a major crackdown on opposition parties in Belarus
Belarusian opposition supporters rally against Alexander Lukashenko following an election to a sixth term as president at Independence Square in Minsk, Belarus on Aug. 23, 2020. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, File)
DATE OF ELECTION
February 25
TYPE OF ELECTION
Parliamentary
WHO’S RUNNING
The parliament is filled by winners of single-ballot races. Under the rule of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, only those who toe his political course are allowed to compete.
WHY IT MATTERS TO THE WORLD
It’s the first election in Belarus since the contentious 2020 presidential vote that gave authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko his sixth term in office and triggered an unprecedented wave of mass protests around the country. The Feb. 25 parliamentary election will take place amid a relentless crackdown on dissent with over 1,400 political prisoners remaining behind bars, including leaders of opposition parties and renowned human rights advocate and 2022 Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski.
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