Minsk, Belarus
Belarus’ strongman, President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, claimed victory this week in a referendum that amended the constitution to allow him to run for an unlimited number of terms. International observers from Europe said that the referendum was rigged and that parliamentary elections held at the same time were also unfair. Not a single opposition candidate won any of the parliament’s 110 seats. Election observers said they witnessed ballot-box stuffing and irregular counting, including one instance where the poll tallier ignored the ballots altogether and made a phone call to ask what number to put on his official results form. Observers from Belarus’ fellow former Soviet states, however, pronounced the election “free and fair.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
6 of the world’s most accessible destinationsThe Week Recommends Experience all of Berlin, Singapore and Sydney
-
How the FCC’s ‘equal time’ rule worksIn the Spotlight The law is at the heart of the Colbert-CBS conflict
-
What is the endgame in the DHS shutdown?Today’s Big Question Democrats want to rein in ICE’s immigration crackdown
