President Lukashenko wants to strengthen his power with a new constitutional amendment in Belarus. Opposition members who have fled abroad will no longer be allowed to participate in presidential elections.
Lukashenko himself could stay on until 2035, the year in which he will turn 81. Then, in February, the population can vote on the new design in a referendum.
The constitutional amendment was announced last year in response to mass popular protests after the presidential elections in August. Aleksandr Lukashenko was then re-elected, enabling him to start a sixth term as president. However, according to observers and the opposition, fraud was committed.
The bill does not seem to really accommodate the protesters at the time. At the time, critics saw the pledge to amend the constitution as a way to nip the unrest in the bud. Instead, the new constitution only seems to strengthen President Lukashenko’s power.
For example, Belarusians who have lived abroad for some time in the past 20 years will no longer be allowed to participate in presidential elections. In this way, refugee opposition members, such as former presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, are made impossible to run for office.
In addition, a president can only serve two consecutive terms. A term of office will be extended from 4 to 5 years. Lukashenko is already in his sixth term, but because the new rules will not take effect until a new president has been elected, this is not considered. In other words, Lukashenko could remain in power until 2035, when he will turn 81.
But Lukashenko has also thought about his future, should he ever be elected or have to resign. Former presidents will not be able to be prosecuted after their term in office. Since independence from the Soviet Union, Belarus has only had one president, so it’s clear that that adjustment is meant for him too.
In addition, a new People’s Assembly would also be established, parallel to the parliament. A sitting president would automatically become a member, and that Assembly could remove a president. That way, Lukashenko could impeach his successor if he becomes too critical.
The constitutional amendment will be submitted to the population in a referendum in February 2022. Former presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who has fled to Lithuania, has criticized Twitter that the constitutional change will only give Lukashenko more power and that he will evade prosecution. According to her, only quickly organized new elections can reduce political unrest in the country.
Lukashenko has been in power in Belarus for 27 years. After his last election, in August last year, massive protests erupted. More than 35,000 people have been arrested since then. Several opposition members, including Tikhanovskaya’s husband, have been sentenced to long prison terms in recent months.
