Sham elections in Belarus
This section brings together political statements, analytical materials, and media monitoring that explain the position of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office and the democratic forces regarding the sham elections in Belarus.
The documents explain why the 2024 and 2025 electoral campaigns cannot be considered a genuine expression of the people’s will. They took place amid repression, the dismantling of independent institutions, the absence of transparent vote counting, the exclusion of genuine opposition candidates, and the regime’s systemic reliance on coercive control and Russian support.
The 2024 “Election” Is a Fraud and a Sham
This statement by the democratic forces of Belarus on the 2024 parliamentary and local “election” rejects its legitimacy and calls on international organizations, civil society, political movements, and voters to oppose this electoral charade. The document outlines the key features of this unfree electoral campaign, including mass repression, restrictions on freedom of expression, the liquidation of political parties and NGOs, the denial of voting rights to Belarusians abroad, and systematic electoral fraud.
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Unconstitutional Seizure of Power: Why Aliaksandr Lukashenka Must Be Barred from the 2025 Election
This statement was adopted by the democratic forces of Belarus at the New Belarus Conference 2024. It sets out a clear political position: the 2025 presidential “election” is another sham, and Aliaksandr Lukashenka should not be allowed to run. The document argues that the election lacks legitimacy due to Lukashenka’s unconstitutional seizure of power, ongoing repression, the suppression of fundamental freedoms, the regime’s dependence on Russia, and its complicity in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
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Media Monitoring of the 2025 Sham Election
Prepared jointly with the People’s Embassies of Belarus, this monitoring report analyzes 183 publications in international media covering the 2025 sham election in Belarus across Denmark, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia, Sweden, and the United States. It examines the dominant themes and narratives in international coverage, how repression, electoral fraud, and political prisoners were reported, and offers recommendations for future media engagement.
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Why the 2025 Election Cannot Be Recognized
This analytical report explains in detail why the 2025 presidential “election” cannot be regarded as free and fair. It examines Belarus’s electoral legislation as a tool for consolidating authoritarian rule, describes an election held amid state terror and the suppression of freedom of expression and association, and highlights the role of regime-controlled election commissions and token candidates in creating the illusion of electoral competition.
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