Why the Uprising in Belarus Failed
It's six months since the fraudulent election in Belarus sparked mass protests against Alexander Lukashenko's authoritarian regime. The collapse of his statist model of capitalism has fed mass discontent with his rule — but the liberal opposition's own promises of change also drew skepticism among working-class Belarusians.
Protesters participate in an anti-Lukashenko rally on August 18, 2020, in Minsk, Belarus. (Misha Friedman / Getty)
It’s six months since Belarus held the elections that triggered the gravest political crisis in the country’s post-independence history. When official results claimed that Alexander Lukashenko, the republic’s president since 1994, had received 80 percent support, the opposition immediately sensed fraud. Massive protests broke out, at first focused on the manipulated election result.
Over August and September 2020, hundreds of thousands of citizens participated in demonstrations — and this in a country of just ten million people. The government response was harsh in the extreme: while there are no exact figures, reports speak of thousands of people detained, hundreds charged, dozens wounded, and some even killed. The United Nations accused the government of many incidents of torture. These dramatic events shook Belarus. But they couldn’t change it.
The Belarusian Model
Doubtless, Belarus is a unique case among the states founded upon the ruins of the Soviet Union. After a brief period of political chaos and unpopular market reforms, in 1994, former state farm manager Lukashenko was elected to the presidency. He returned control over the economy to the government and reinstated close economic relations with Russia.
This article is for subscribers only. Please login or subscribe to access our full archives and beautiful print and digital magazine starting at just $3 a month.