Rabat – President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko announced in an interview published by Times magazine on Friday that he would not seek another term.
This has ended speculation about Lukashenko’s bid to extend his three-decade rule. He is the longest serving European head of state, as he gained power in 1994.
Analysts and reports reveal that Lukashenko has ruled on of the most authoritarian regimes in the continent’s recent history, with large-scale arrests, executions to maintain his self-proclaimed dictatorial regime.
His 2020 re-election was highly disputed, marked by a large crackdown on pro-democracy activists and protestors.
Recent elections gained the president his seventh term in office in January. Most of the opposition candidates were arrested during the campaign, and he won the election by 86.82% of the vote.
Lukashenko has also been a long-term ally of Vladimir Putin, having supported the Russian front of the war in Ukraine, with troops and land border access.
In his interview to the Times, the Belarus president said that he does not want his replacement to “break anything right away”, and that they should avoid a “revolutionary breakdown.”
Lukashenko also rejected the long-held belief that he was grooming his son Nikolai to take his place and replace him. “No, he is not my successor. I knew you would ask that. No, no, no. Ask him yourself, he may be really offended” he said in the conversation in Russia by Belarusian state news.
However, the question lingers as to who will take his place, as most opposition figures remain behind bars with around 1,200 of his largest opponents thrown in prison, charged with extremism and various political offenses.
Speculation aside, Lukashenko’s announcement brings not only a monumental shift in Belarus in politics but a renewed hope in Europe for no more dictator-like leadership.
