Lukashenko has been president of Belarus for six consecutive terms since 1994 and wants another five years in office. Still, speaking at a church on Orthodox Christmas on Tuesday, he pointed to young children in attendance and said he was doing “everything” to “peacefully and quietly” hand over power to the next generation.
Lukashenko’s claim is false.
During his 30 years in office, Lukashenko has used power by amending the constitution, jailing and exiling political rivals, destroying press freedom, repeatedly falsifying election results, and instigating mass demonstrations against his rule. They have misused and monopolized power by using police and army to crush them. He is running unopposed in the elections to be held in January for the next five-year term.
In 1996, he initiated a referendum to amend the Constitution, which removed the two-term limit for the presidency and transferred most powers from Parliament to the President. Lukashenko used the referendum to postpone the 1999 presidential elections to 2001, allowing him to remain in power for seven years instead of five.
In 2004, Lukashenko amended the constitution to eliminate presidential term limits entirely, allowing him to hold the presidency indefinitely.
In 2022, he initiated another constitutional referendum, reinstating the two-term limit along with other changes. But this change will only apply to Belarusian presidents elected on and after January 26, 2025. This latest amendment allows 70-year-old Lukashenko to remain in power for another 10 years until he turns 80.
The amendment also prohibits Belarusian citizens from renewing their passports at embassies and consulates in foreign countries. Most Belarusians in exile are considered sympathetic to Lukashenko’s opposition. Without a valid passport, they cannot vote in presidential elections.
None of the last six presidential elections in Belarus have been considered free or fair. International observers, including the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, have accused Lukashenko of manipulating votes and exploiting administrative powers to ensure his victory.
In the 2020 presidential election, Lukashenko claimed an 80% victory, which was rejected as fraudulent by domestic and international organizations due to widespread reports of electoral fraud, intimidation and manipulation. This led to mass protests, with millions of Belarusians demanding fair elections and Lukashenko’s resignation. Lukashenko used police and armed forces to crack down on protesters.
Most Western governments, including the United States, did not recognize Lukashenko’s victory or the legitimacy of his presidency in 2020 and considered opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya the legitimate winner.
Following the 2020 election in Belarus, the European Union, the United States, Canada and other countries imposed sanctions on the Belarusian government and Lukashenko for electoral fraud and human rights abuses.
The country’s Central Election Commission has registered Lukashenko and four other candidates for the January 26 presidential elections. These elections, held amid political crises and repression, are considered unfree and undemocratic, as there are no registered opposition parties or independent organizations left in the country.
Lawyers for the Human Rights Defenders Campaign for Free Elections say that elections in Belarus no longer serve their intended purpose, but are instead manipulated by the authoritarian regime to create an illusion of widespread support and legitimize its rule.
Some opposition groups in exile, such as Honest People, said returning to Belarus is not an option and urged Belarusians to vote against all those running in the upcoming elections.
Lukashenko responded on 3 January by claiming that there were no political prisoners in Belarus and accused opposition groups of trying to influence “the West” with “lies”.
The Viasna Human Rights Center considers at least 1,258 people currently jailed in Belarus to be political prisoners. The organization has published a comprehensive database detailing the circumstances of each prisoner’s arrest and the charges brought against each by the government.
In July 2024, the European Union estimated the number of political prisoners in Belarus to exceed 1,400. By May 2023, the US State Department reported that the Lukashenko regime was unjustly holding more than 1,500 political prisoners.