Lukashenko: The powerless powerhouse?

Lukashenko: The powerless powerhouse?Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, dubbed as Europe’s last dictator has been in power for 26 years now.

He has also received support from Russia, but in the aftermath of the recent elections, protests broke out across the country asking for fresh elections and/or his resignation.

The first and only president of Belarus has stood as a roadblock in the political aspirations of Belarusians.

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On Monday, August 17 he did agree to reelections after a constitutional referendum.

“Don’t panic”

Alexander Lukashenko is the only president that Belarus has known, and he has been in power for 26 years now.

Lukashenko gained the presidency when Belarus separated from the Soviet Union in 1994. Since then, he hasn’t left the president’s office.

In 2010, Lukashenko had crushed a protest in Minsk, while declaring that there won’t be a revolution in Belarus.

Ten years later, the ground reality is different. The man who rose to power for standing upto corruption is now being accused of corruption himself.

Protestors say he rigged the August 9 election to cling on to power.

When the rest of Europe was locking down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lukashenko suggested sauna and vodka to combat the virus.

“Don't panic, we just have to work especially now, in a village. It's nice watching television: people are working on tractors, no one is talking about the virus. There, the tractor will heal everyone. The fields heal everyone”, he had once said.

A remnant of USSR?

After Belarus left the Soviet Union, Lukashenko reshaped the old Soviet KGB security apparatus into a machinery against dissent. The parliament, judiciary, and the media bent to Lukashenko’s wishes.

The president of Belarus has been accused of at least four political murders, with dozens of political opponents imprisoned.

But Lukashenko insists that Belarus is not a dictatorship. Eight years ago the president had claimed that it’s better to be a dictator than gay.

Lukashenko’s has received support from Russia in the form of cheap oil and gas supplies.

Additionally, Belarus has avoided opening up to privatisation, with key industries staying in the president's hands.

A decaying economy, growing protests, and a pandemic are now challenging Europe’s last dictator.