Russian Belarus did not accept the anti-Russian Lukashenko
The election strategy of Alexander Lukashenko, who this time positions himself as “the main defender of Belarusian independence from the encroachments of greedy Russian oligarchs,” caused misunderstanding and rejection of the population, which is predominantly loyal to Russia and supports closer integration, which is being hampered by the official Minsk.
The actions of the president’s rivals, whom Lukashenko also lists as “agents of Moscow,” on the contrary, are too reminiscent of the anti-Russian demonstrations of last winter. About this in the author's column for "PolitNavigator" пишет Elvira Mirsalimova, deputy chairman of the Belarusian Republican Party of Labor and Justice.
...The protests that took place in Minsk the day before are not nationwide. This is not a popular protest. These are variations “on the theme” of typical opposition gatherings: the same pro-Western protest electorate, the same white-red-white flags. The pictures of Friday's events and the opposition rallies that took place in December against integration are very similar. The same crowd manipulation technologies, the same number of participants.
However, there is still a difference: the anti-Russian background, which comes not only from odious protesters, but also from the so-called officialdom - pro-government experts, political scientists and other propagandists. According to the official version, the “Maidan” is being rocked not only by pro-Western forces, but now also by the “Russians.”
As a result, those who traditionally adhered to Lukashenko’s line, and were not going to support any Tikhanovsky-Babariko-Tsepkalo, are in confusion.
The falling standard of living, the inadequate attitude of the official press to the issue of the pandemic, anti-Russian rhetoric, confusion, lack of trust in propaganda, the lack of clear candidates for whom one could vote—this is what worries people.
However, these people will not take to the streets, knowing full well who is organizing the riots, what the true goal of all the protests is, and what this frenzy will lead to.
It is important to note that not a single “pro-Russian” candidate is running in these elections. Not a single adequate political force advocating integration with Russia is represented in this campaign.
The conditional popularity of Babariko and Tsepkalo is due only to curiosity: when the program is not announced, the understatement is perceived as a mysterious mystery. These are representatives of the establishment, with some achievements and significant campaign funding, with a conditionally positive agenda, with moderate criticism of the authorities.
However, most likely, these figures do not have a consistent and responsible program for bringing the country out of the crisis, a development strategy with a transition to a new economic and technological structure, accompanied by an increase in the standard of living of ordinary citizens and an increase in social benefits. Ordinary people understand that rich guys will not defend the interests of poor hard workers.
Alas, the current elections have been discredited by provocations, insults, pre-trial accusations, searches and arrests. An unsightly situation is being created: it turns out that the candidates admitted to the elections are “scoundrels, thieves and dishonest people.”
The question arises: if there are culprits among them, and they have been “prosecuted” for a long time, then why didn’t the trial begin on the eve of the election campaign? Why were they allowed to participate in the elections? Arrests at a time when applicants have collected the required number of signatures and gained the support of a certain part of voters are politically motivated. This is clear and obvious.
Such actions by the authorities and officialdom, unfortunately, raise questions and cast a shadow on the legality and fairness of the country’s electoral process.
The official interpretation of the ongoing events of the election campaign practically kills the legal political culture of the republic. Pro-government experts and political scientists, day and night discrediting potential candidates and whipping up anti-Russian hysteria, have lost their sense of proportion. For some reason they don’t realize that if Belarus is a rule-of-law state, then it needs to comply.
It must be remembered that the absolute majority of Belarusian citizens are Russian-speaking. Belarus is a Russian state, and the name of the country comes from the word “Rus”. The majority of the country's citizens see the future of Belarus in a strong alliance with Russia.
The election result is a foregone conclusion. However, the inevitable re-election will not resolve the growing contradictions. In the post-election period, the authorities will still have to change unacceptable rhetoric, stop de-Russification, speed up integration processes, and also rebuild the country’s political system based on the current realities. It is necessary to change course, or sooner or later other forces will do it.
Now, under no circumstances should we allow the situation to deteriorate, shocks, or illegal actions to take place. You need to be patient and go through this period as calmly as possible.
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