After 26 years in power, “Europe’s last dictator” faces historic resistance.
, Lukashenko — who has been in power for 26 years — won around 80 percent of the vote. The main opposition candidate, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, won 10 percent. Tikhanovskaya joined the race after her husband, the original candidate, was arrested and had his bid for office rejected by Belarusan authorities.
He remains in jail and Tikhanovskaya has since fled the country to neighboring Lithuania. She has called on local authorities around the country to support the protests against Lukashenko’s authoritarian rule. Police have usedOn Friday, E.U. officials met and decided to pursue new sanctions targeting Belarusan officials, two diplomats familiar with the discussions said. They spoke on the condition of anonymity while the meeting was ongoing.
The European Union has imposed sanctions on the country, for human rights violations including election fraud and undermining Democratic norms, at least twice over the past 15 years. Those sanctions were largely lifted in 2016, after Lukashenko released political prisoners. An arms embargoLukashenko, 65, never built a formal base of support.
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