Putin ally Lukashenko declared winner of Belarus vote that West calls a charade
Reuters Belarusian leader and Russian ally Alexander Lukashenko extended his 31-year rule on Monday after electoral officials declared him the winner of a presidential election Western governments rejected as a sham. Lukashenko, who faced no serious challenge from the four other candidates on the ballot, took 86.8 per cent of the vote, according to initial […]
Lukashenko heads for massive win in Belarus election scorned by the West
Reuters Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko was on track to extend his 31-year rule with a massive win in a presidential election on Sunday that Western governments rejected as a sham. An exit poll broadcast on state TV projected that Lukashenko would take nearly 88 per cent of the vote. The close ally of Russian President […]
Organise or fight? Three years in exile, Belarus opposition divided about path
Warsaw, Poland Reuters Pavel Maryeuski, 33, was an activist committed to peaceful politics who had never held a weapon, when he fled his native Belarus after President Alexander Lukashenko’s crackdown on protests following an election three years ago. Last year, when Russia invaded Ukraine, he felt the call to battle, and joined a Belarus volunteer unit fighting in support […]
Belarus opposition told to “be ready” for democracy push as rumours of leader’s ill health swirl
Reuters Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya told her supporters on Monday to be ready to grab any chance to turn her country into a democracy as speculation about the health of veteran President Alexander Lukashenko swirled. Shortly after her message to supporters via Twitter, a Belarusian state news channel released a photo of Lukashenko, […]
Attenborough, WHO, Tsikhanouskaya among nominees for Nobel Peace Prize
Oslo, Norway Reuters British nature broadcaster David Attenborough, the World Health Organization and Belarusian dissident Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya are among the nominees for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize after being backed by Norwegian lawmakers who have a track record of picking the winner. Thousands of people, from members of parliaments worldwide to former winners, are eligible […]
Explainer: How does the Nobel Peace Prize work?
Oslo, Norway Reuters The winner of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on 8th October in Oslo. Here is a look at how the award works: Who can win? The prize should go to the person “who has done the most or best to advance fellowship among nations, the abolition or reduction of […]
Belarus jails two opposition leaders; teachers head rally of thousands
Minsk, Belarus Reuters Belarus jailed two opposition leaders for 10 days on Tuesday as the government pursued a crackdown on the few figures still at large, while schoolteachers led a new protest of thousands against President Alexander Lukashenko. Despite most major opposition figures being in jail or exile, Lukashenko has so far failed to put […]