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Thousands of people in Belarus gathered in the streets over the weekend to protest the political crisis going on within the country. But what’s exactly going on there?
- Security forces and protesters have clashed in Minsk and other cities within the country.
- These clashes came after President Alexander Lukashenko won a landslide reelection victory. The president won with 80% of the vote on Sunday, Aug. 9, with the opponents earning 10% of the vote, according to NBC News.
- Lukashenko’s opponents said the election was rigged because of the lack of public support for him, according to Reuters.
- Large opposition rallies were held before the election with tens of thousands of people turning out to protest the president’s potential reelection, according to BBC News.
- Opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya was seen as one of the biggest threats to Lukashenko’s near 26-tear tenure as president.
- On the night of the election, the spokeswoman for Tikhanovskaya was detained, BBC News reported. It was unclear why the arrest happened.
What now?
- The president said he would turn over power as a way to “pacify mass protests and strikes that pose the biggest challenge to his 26 years in office,” per Reuters.
- Lukashenko said Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Ukraine told him to hold a new poll, but he said he wouldn’t do it, according to Sky News. He also said NATO had amassed tanks and planes near the country’s border. NATO denied that claim.
- According to Lukashenko, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would provide help and assistance if pressure continues within the country.