Belarusian election on 9th strengthens repulsion to current position It is August 8 at 20:55

The former Soviet Belarus will hold a presidential election once every five years on the 9th. President Lukashenko, who continues to rule strongly, is aiming for six elections, but as the public's repulsion strengthens more than ever due to remarks such as disregarding the new coronavirus countermeasures, an exceptional candidate of a woman with no political experience gains support It has been expanded.

In the Belarusian presidential election held on the 9th, it is said to be “the last dictator in Europe” due to its powerful rule, and four candidates challenge President Lukashenko, who is aiming for six elections.

Of particular interest is the wife of a popular blogger, housewife Svetlana Chihanovskaya, who has been abandoned for candidacy by the authorities.

Tens of thousands of supporters attended the meeting of Mr. Tihanovskaya, which is an exceptional situation in Belarus.

A man who attended a rally in the western city of Brest on the 2nd of this month said, "There is neither freedom nor the possibility of self-fulfillment in this country. We must fight for the right to speak freely." , Was appealing for the retirement of President Lukashenko.

President Lukashenko has repeatedly made remarks over the new coronavirus countermeasures, such as "drinking vodka to remove the virus", but has repeatedly said that 600 people have died.

Coupled with dissatisfaction with the long-term government, public opposition has never been stronger, making it an exceptional development that attracts female candidates with no political experience.

Housewives attracting attention as conflict candidates

Housewife Svetlana Chihanovskaya (37) is attracting attention as a rival candidate for President Lukashenko.

Chihanovskaya initially decided to run for himself, instead of her husband, a popular blogger who was detained in May.

Chihanovskaya has appealed that he will be the president himself, freeing those detained, including his husband, and having a fair presidential election six months later.

In this election, Mr. Babariko, who was the head of the Russian bank, and Mr. Tsepkaro, a former diplomat, were detained and denied the report, and it became a situation in which strong candidate candidates could not run one after another.

Supporters of these people have gathered under Mr. Chihanovskaya, and they have become a de facto candidate for unification of the regime.

In an interview with NHK, Mr. Chihanovskaya kept in mind the possibility of dishonesty in the counting of votes: "Even if President Lukashenko wins, he will find evidence of dishonesty and protect our votes. I want to do everything I can for the people." He stressed his willingness to challenge President Lukashenko.

Russia has great interest in the election

It is neighboring Russia that has the greatest interest in the whereabouts of the Belarusian presidential election.

Putin regards Belarus as a brother country and regards it as a sphere of influence for himself, and has sought to strengthen its influence centering on the economic field.

Based on a treaty with Belarus in 1999 regarding the creation of a coalition, President Lukashenko has been holding talks for economic integration, including the introduction of a unified currency, but President Lukashenko has remained cautious. Not making progress.

In addition, the relationship between the two countries has begun to show some squeaks, such as conflicts over Russian crude oil prices.

In the meantime, in late last month, more than 30 armed guards of a Russian private military company, who were pointed out to be connected to the Putin administration, secretly entered Belarus and were detained.

The armed guards have also been dispatched to eastern Ukraine and Syria, and President Lukashenko accused Russia of trying to destabilize the domestic situation before the election.

Russia, on the other hand, denies, "I only stayed there as a stopover to another country."

Regarding the future of bilateral relations, diplomatic critic Fyodor Rukiyanov said, "Belarus is effectively an element of Russia's economy, and Russia must institutionalize it." I point out that it has priority.

Some say that Putin hopes that Mr. Lukashenko, who has weakened the support of the people and weakened, will continue the integrated talks if he is the other party, and wants to continue.

However, if protests expand after the election and the situation becomes tense, Russia could possibly intervene in some way, and Russia's outlook is also a focus.

Criticism of President Lukashenko's response to corona

President Alexander Lukashenko has won the election for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1994, and since then, he has been elected repeatedly by removing restrictions on his term, and has been the president for five years and 26 years.

President Lukashenko is said to be "the last dictator of Europe" because of his powerful rule, such as strengthening the main posts of the government and parliament with a person close to himself, strengthening control over the media and thoroughly suppressing opposition. It has been criticized by the West.

However, before Belarus' election this year, there is an unprecedented voice in Belarus protesting President Lukashenko that he is disregarding measures against the new coronavirus in addition to persistent dissatisfaction with the long-term government.

Regarding the situation of the new coronavirus, President Lukashenko said, "You can remove the virus by drinking vodka" or "it is effective if you go to the sauna", and then criticized by the public that it was infected by yourself. it was done.

In Belarus with a population of 9.4 million, nearly 70,000 people were infected with the virus and nearly 600 people were killed. A doctor working at a hospital in the capital city of Minsk told NHK, I was afraid of people dying. The government had no preparations or measures," criticized Lukashenko's response.

Lukashenko's approval rating has risen to 70% in a survey published through state media, but only a few% in multiple surveys conducted online.