Lukashenko's 2025 elections: An update on the voting process in Belarus.

The presidential elections in Belarus are set to take place on Sunday, January 26. Given the lack of a genuine opposition in the country for quite some time, there is little intrigue to expect.

The main candidate is Alexander Lukashenko. This will be his seventh election, and he is likely to win by a significant margin over his competitors.

Election Day (updated)

11:00 Alexander Lukashenko revealed who he voted for in the elections:

"I must honestly admit — for everyone!".

08:00 A total of 5,325 polling stations have been established across Belarus. They opened at 8:00 local time and will operate until 20:00.

A press conference by the head of the Central Election Commission on "Preliminary Voting Results" is scheduled for January 27, from 2:30 to 3:00.

07:35 The head of the Central Election Commission of Belarus, Igor Karpenko, announced that all polling stations opened on the morning of January 26.

What to Expect?

After the protests in 2020, Lukashenko effectively lost legitimacy, yet he continues to act as if nothing has happened. Therefore, in the current elections, he needs to demonstrate some impressive support figures. One such figure already exists — according to the Central Election Commission of Belarus, 2.5 million people signed up for his participation, which is almost 35% of all voters.

It is worth noting that independent observers have been excluded from this year’s elections, and there will be no voting abroad. This means that supporters of the opposition who fled abroad out of fear of repression will effectively be deprived of their voting rights this year. Additionally, police will be on duty at polling stations, and photographing ballots may result in a fine.

Considering all this, it can be anticipated that Lukashenko will win almost without any opposition.

Opponents

When it comes to Lukashenko's opponents, they can only be mentioned for the sake of formality. They include Sergey Sirankov, Alexander Khizhnyak, and Oleg Gaydukovich — all three are representatives of pro-government parties and do not particularly conceal their sympathy for Lukashenko. The "opposition candidate" Anna Kanopatskaya has also been allowed to participate in the elections.

However, Kanopatskaya's inclusion in the elections is likely intended to create the illusion of opposition forces in Belarus. Although she claims to be an opposition figure, she remains silent about political prisoners and repressions. Furthermore, she has actively criticized one of the opposition leaders, Viktor Babariko.

Kanopatskaya has been involved in politics since 1995, when her father, Anatoly Trukhanovich, the first dollar millionaire of Belarus, brought her into the United Civic Party.

Reaction

Since the elections will be "for show," opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has already called for a boycott.

"This is merely a deception. There’s a military-style operation underway, a facade that the regime is staging to maintain its grip on power," — she stated.

On January 22, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for the election results not to be recognized.

"The European Parliament urges the EU, its member states, and the international community not to recognize the legitimacy of the current dictator Alexander Lukashenko as president after this vote," – the resolution states.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine also expressed solidarity with the EU's stance on this matter and emphasized that there are currently no grounds for restoring contacts with the Belarusian authorities.

"It is clear to us that Alexander Lukashenko will continue to be an ally and accomplice of Putin in his war against Ukraine, which is contrary to the interests of the Belarusian people," — said Foreign Ministry representative Georgy Tikhiy.

As a reminder, earlier "Telegraph" reported on what is known about the leader of the Belarusian opposition Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and what she has been doing since leaving Belarus.