Belarus presidential elections scheduled for January 26

Photo: Palace of the Republic, Minsk

Presidential elections in the Republic of Belarus have been scheduled for January 26, 2025. This decision was made on Wednesday, October 23, by the House of Representatives of the Belarusian parliament.

The previous presidential elections were held in August 2020, the inauguration of Alexander Lukashenko, who was declared the winner of the elections, took place in September. According to the law, new elections were to be held no later than July of next year. Why they were scheduled for January, which would make Lukashenko's current presidential term less than 4.5 years instead of 5, the Belarusian authorities did not explain, noting only that this does not contradict the law, Radio Liberty reports.

Earlier, the opposition association of former law enforcement officers BelPol, citing sources, claimed that the elections could be scheduled for February 23.

Authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the country for 30 years, has not yet officially announced that he will run for a seventh term, but commentators agree that he has no intention of stepping down and will therefore run. This is not prohibited by law.

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The previous presidential elections ended with mass protests, the largest in the history of independent Belarus. Claiming large-scale falsifications in favor of Lukashenko, their participants insisted that the majority actually supported Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. The authorities suppressed the protests. Repressions began, which continue to this day. There are currently more than 1,000 political prisoners in Belarus, and many opposition leaders have left the country. Legal opposition activity is virtually impossible in the country. In this regard, opposition democratic forces have repeatedly stated that the 2025 presidential elections in Belarus will not be free and the international community should not recognize them.

The United States and other Western countries have not officially recognized the results of the 2020 elections and do not consider Lukashenko to be the legitimately elected president, although they maintain de facto relations with official Minsk.

Since 2020, Belarus, under Lukashenko's leadership, has become even closer to Russia; a Russian contingent and tactical nuclear weapons have been deployed in the country. Sanctions have been imposed against Minsk, including in connection with its indirect participation in the war against Ukraine.

The Russian Ambassador to Belarus Boris Gryzlov said the day before that in the event of attempts to “destabilize” Belarus after the presidential elections, the Russian authorities will help the Belarusian authorities if they ask for such assistance.

The Belarusian authorities previously announced the initiation of a criminal case on charges of preparing a coup in connection with the declaration of the Belarusian opposition “Platform 2025”. It provides, among other things, for non-recognition of the election results in Belarus, work to free political prisoners, and cooperation with government officials sympathetic to the opposition for the future democratic development of the country.

Prepared by: Sergei Daga