Belarus: Dictatorship Or Democracy? Understanding The Country's Political System

Belarus has been described as Europe's last dictatorship, with its leader, Alexander Lukashenko, ruling with an iron fist since 1994. However, Lukashenko himself denies being a dictator, stating that he has the support of the Belarusian voters. This raises the question: Is Belarus a dictatorship or a democracy? To answer this, we need to examine the political system, the electoral process, and the level of freedom and human rights afforded to citizens in the country.

Alexander Lukashenko's rule

Alexander Lukashenko has been the president of Belarus since 1994, making him the longest-serving head of state in Europe. He has been referred to as "Europe's last dictator" by the media, and his rule has been characterised as authoritarian.

Lukashenko's rule has been marked by a return to Soviet-era functions and symbols. He has retained strong state control over the economy, the media, and political repression. Lukashenko has been accused of at least four political murders and has imprisoned dozens of political opponents. His government has also been criticised by Human Rights Watch for human rights violations and actions against NGOs, independent journalists, national minorities, and opposition politicians.

International monitors have not regarded Belarusian elections as free and fair, except for his initial win. The 2020 election, in particular, was marred by allegations of widespread electoral fraud, with opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya claiming she had received between 60 and 70% of the vote. Mass protests erupted across Belarus following the election, and Lukashenko's handling of the situation led to the EU, the UK, and the US refusing to recognise him as the legitimate president of Belarus.

Lukashenko's economic policies have aimed to prevent the establishment of oligarchic structures and mass unemployment, which occurred in other post-Soviet states. He maintained state ownership of key industries, preventing the rise of oligarchy and sparing Belarus from recessions as devastating as those in other post-Soviet states. However, his policies have also driven the country into financial crises due to excessive current account deficits.

In terms of foreign relations, Lukashenko has maintained close ties with Russia, playing a crucial role in creating the Union State of Russia and Belarus. However, their relationship has deteriorated in recent years, with Russia cutting economic subsidies for Belarus. Lukashenko has also sought greater engagement with Western countries to counterbalance Russia, but his poor policies and lack of commitment to freedom, democracy, and reasonable economic policies have hindered this.

Rigged elections

Since 1994, Belarus has been led by President Alexander Lukashenko, who has often been referred to as "Europe's last dictator". Elections in Belarus are not considered free and fair by international monitors, and there have been several allegations of election rigging.

In the 2006 Belarusian presidential election, Lukashenko won a third term in office with 84.4% of the vote. However, Western observers, including the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), deemed the elections rigged. The OSCE declared that the election failed to meet OSCE commitments for democratic elections and sent monitors to Belarus to observe the elections and ensure they were free from any irregularities. The United States also placed sanctions on Belarus due to past election issues. Despite this, Lukashenko was sworn in for his third term.

In the 2020 presidential election, Lukashenko's main opponent, former English teacher Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, drew crowds of tens of thousands of people after she entered the race in place of her husband, a popular opposition blogger who was jailed before the election. She united fractured opposition groups and channelled the growing frustration over the country's weak economy and Lukashenko's dismissal of the coronavirus pandemic. However, the official election results showed Lukashenko winning by a landslide, with 80% of the vote.

In the three weeks following the election, hundreds of thousands of people protested what they believed was a rigged outcome. There were mass detentions, beatings, and criminal charges against organisers, with police cracking down on demonstrations and strikes. Poll workers came forward to describe instances of ballot fraud and pressure to falsify results in favour of Lukashenko. An audio recording from a polling station in Vitebsk was posted on YouTube, in which an official can be heard telling poll workers to "swap the numbers" for Lukashenko and Tsikhanouskaya.

The United States and the European Union have called the 2020 election neither free nor fair, and the UK, US, and Canada have sanctioned Belarusian officials believed to have committed human rights violations and rigged the election. The Belarus Supreme Court refused to overturn the vote, and Lukashenko has bristled at demands for a rerun.

Media suppression

Belarus has been described as a dictatorship, with its leader, Alexander Lukashenko, often referred to as "Europe's last dictator". The country has a long history of media suppression, with freedom of the press severely restricted. The government routinely harasses and intimidates independent and foreign media outlets, and journalists are often detained, threatened, or worse, for reporting on unauthorized demonstrations, working with unregistered media outlets, or criticising the government.

The Belarusian constitution prohibits censorship, yet it is enforced by several laws. One such law makes insulting the president punishable by up to five years in prison, while criticising Belarus abroad can result in up to two years in prison. The Ministry of Information, established in 2001, serves as the country's media regulator, and its licensing and registration procedures are opaque and politicized. All media outlets, including websites, must register or face blockage, and independent publications are forced to use foreign-based internet domains. Outlets that "threaten the state's interests" can be denied accreditation and shut down.

The government also maintains a virtual monopoly on domestic broadcast media, with only state media broadcasting nationwide. The content of smaller television and radio stations is tightly restricted, and independent and opposition newspapers are banned from being distributed by the state-owned postal and kiosk systems. This has forced these papers to sell directly from their newsrooms and rely on volunteers for delivery, but authorities often harass and arrest these distributors.

In addition to these restrictions, the government also targets individual journalists. In 2014, more than 20 journalists were questioned, warned, or fined for "illegal production and distribution of media products". Freelance journalists have also been fined for working with foreign media without official state accreditation. Arbitrary detention, arrests, and harassment of journalists are commonplace, and anti-extremism legislation is used to target independent journalism, including materials deemed contrary to the honour of the president.

The suppression of the media in Belarus has not gone unnoticed by the international community. Reporters Without Borders ranked the country 154th out of 178 countries in its 2010 Press Freedom Index. In 2011, Belarus scored 92nd out of 100 (where 10 is the most free) in the Freedom House Freedom of the Press report, earning it a "Not Free" status. In 2021, after a year-long purge of independent media by the Lukashenko regime, the country dropped further to 158th place in the PFI rating.

The European Union has also taken action, sanctioning 21 Belarusian officials in early 2012. In response, Belarus expelled the EU and Polish ambassadors, leading to EU nations withdrawing their ambassadors from Belarus. Poland has been particularly vocal in its opposition to media repression in Belarus, hosting broadcasting stations for opposition forces and granting asylum to exiled figures.

Human rights violations

Belarus has been described as "Europe's last dictatorship" by Western countries, and its government has been criticised for human rights violations and the persecution of non-governmental organisations, independent journalists, national minorities, and opposition politicians. The country's president, Alexander Lukashenko, has described himself as having an "authoritarian ruling style".

Freedom of Expression, Association, and Assembly

• The Belarusian government has imposed severe restrictions on freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.
• Independent media outlets and journalists have faced censorship, harassment, intimidation, arrests, and violence.
• The government has targeted and intimidated civil society activists and independent media.
• The Belarusian Association of Journalists, Press Club Belarus, and Belarusian PEN Centre have faced restrictions and revocation of registrations.
• The government has imposed arbitrary charges of "extremism" to close civil society organisations and silence dissent.
• Individuals have been arrested and prosecuted for "insulting" officials, "discrediting" state institutions, or "inciting animosity and enmity".
• Religious minorities, including Jews, Protestants, and LGBT+ individuals, have faced discrimination and restrictions on their freedom of worship.
• The government has attempted to suppress the Belarusian language and discriminate against Belarusian speakers.

Political Repression and Persecution

• The government has a history of rigging elections, imprisoning opposition figures, and suppressing political dissent.
• During the 2020 presidential election, the number of political prisoners recognised by the Viasna Human Rights Centre rose dramatically.
• Security forces have used violence, including unlawful and abusive force and firearms, against peaceful protesters, resulting in several deaths.
• The authorities have failed to investigate violations during protests and have instead harassed and intimidated those who challenged their version of events.
• Opposition leaders, activists, and journalists have been subjected to arbitrary arrests, detention, torture, and beatings.
• The government has imposed travel bans and personal sanctions on dozens of Belarusian officials responsible for political repression, forced disappearances, propaganda, and electoral fraud.
• The Belarusian judicial system is characterised by a high conviction rate, with limited independence and predetermined trial outcomes.
• The government has targeted lawyers defending opposition activists, resulting in disbarment, arrests, and intimidation.

Other Human Rights Violations

• The government has lured refugees and migrants to Belarus, promising easy passage to the EU, only to forcibly push them across EU borders, where they face pushbacks and human rights abuses.
• Belarus continues to impose the death penalty for certain crimes, and it is the only European country to do so.
• The government has imposed restrictions on the right to a healthy environment, with air pollution levels exceeding safe limits.
• The Belarusian government has been accused of taking individuals hostage and using them as bargaining chips in international relations.

The international community, including the United Nations, the European Union, and the United States, has condemned Belarus for human rights violations and imposed sanctions on the country and its officials. However, despite international pressure, human rights violations in Belarus persist, and the country remains a dictatorship with limited respect for democratic principles and human rights.

International sanctions

Belarus is widely regarded as a dictatorship, with its president, Alexander Lukashenko, being referred to as "Europe's last dictator". The country has been subjected to international sanctions due to its authoritarian government, human rights violations, and involvement in Russia's military invasion of Ukraine.

The European Union (EU) and the United States have imposed various sanctions on Belarus in response to its political oppression, human rights abuses, and involvement in the Russian aggression against Ukraine. Here is an overview of the sanctions:

• EU Sanctions: The EU has imposed restrictive measures against Belarus since 2004, with additional sanctions implemented in 2022 due to Belarus's involvement in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. These measures include individual and economic sanctions targeting specific Belarusian individuals and entities, restrictions on trade, a SWIFT ban for five Belarusian banks, a prohibition on transactions with the Central Bank of Belarus, limits on financial inflows from Belarus to the EU, and a ban on providing euro-denominated banknotes to Belarus. The EU has also imposed a travel ban and an asset freeze on designated individuals, and EU citizens and companies are forbidden from providing funds to those listed. As of 2024, 233 individuals and 37 entities are designated under the sanctions regime, including President Lukashenko and his son Viktor.
• US Sanctions: The US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) administers sanctions on Belarus through the Belarus Sanctions program. These sanctions target individuals and entities undermining democratic processes or institutions in the country. The US has also imposed visa restrictions and economic sanctions on members of the Lukashenko regime, targeting their military support for Russia and revenue generators for human rights abuses.

The international sanctions aim to pressure the Belarusian political leadership to prevent further violence and repression, release political prisoners, and initiate a genuine democratic transition. The EU has expressed its unwavering support for democracy and human rights in Belarus and stands ready to adopt further sanctions if the situation does not improve.

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