Protests Sparked Over The Presidential Election in Belarus

 

Belarus held its presidential elections on Sunday. The results announced that longtime incumbent Alexander Lukashenko won the election with 80% of the vote. The issue which opposition leaders have raised is that the elections were not free or fair. Protests have broken out in various cities across the European nation. Russia's response was to congratulate President Lukashenko's election victory. Germany has been skeptical of the political situation in the country. As demonstrations continue to grow, this will most likely attract foreign powers. the opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikanouskaya has attracted more support. There are fears Belarus could follow a path similar to Ukraine. An internal crisis can be used as an excuse for intervention by the EU. There is no indication that the opposition is being controlled by foreign powers for the sake of regime change. Belarus could be entering another political phase and the citizens may  desire large scale change. Alexander Lukashenko has been in power since 1994 and has faced little  formidable opposition. Sviatlana Tsikanouskaya has ran as an independent building a coalition across the political spectrum. The challenge is keeping such an alliance unified. Being against the government or current  administration is not enough to ensure a  promising future. Repression has gotten worse with journalists and opposition leaders put under arrest. Belarus faces a crisis that consists of  authoritarian government, political oppression, threat of  geopolitical maneuvering between Russia and the EU.