The End of Lukashenko is near. - Politics Forum.org | PoFo

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#15099168
Like his Latin American counterparts, it is his final days and the end is near. Another left leaning Dictator who has ruined his countries economy and destroyed the hopes and dreams of his people. :excited:

Belarus has seen a spark in protests since President Alexander Lukashenko confirmed he will run for a sixth term in office. He said he won’t allow a "color revolution" after his main political opponent was jailed.


Opposition activists attend a rally to support for potential presidential candidates in the upcoming presidential elections in Minsk (picture-alliance/AP Photo/S. Grits)
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Monday that authorities will outlaw protests until the upcoming election and he will never allow a revolution to occur. Local media reported that prominent opposition figures were arrested following anti-government demonstrations in Minsk at the weekend.

"We will never allow destabilization of the situation in our country," Lukashenko said. "We don't want any 'color revolutions' here," he added, referring to a sweep of revolutions in the Balkans and worldwide in the early 2000s.

The strongman leader has led the former Soviet state for 25 years and has been described as Europe's last dictator owing to his tight hold on power and allegations of widespread corruption at the highest levels of government.

Read more: Minsk and Moscow: Dependency has its price

Lukashenko is seeking re-election to a sixth term as president on August 9. Presidential term limits were abolished in a 2004 referendum. Opponents say he should be banned from running; Lukashenko described opposition groups as "bands of criminals."

Arrest of opposition leader

Demonstrations have been ongoing for several weeks since Lukashenko confirmed he will be running for another term. Independent media reported Sunday that prominent opposition leader Mikola Statkevich was arrested at a demonstration.

Statkevich was sentenced to 15 days in police detention, as dozens more activists were held across the country, charged on a variety of counts.

Statkevich was found guilty of organizing an unauthorized rally, AFP reported. He was jailed for six years in 2010 after opposing Lukashenko in presidential elections.

Rights groups have also denounced the arrest of popular political video blogger Sergei Tikhanovsky on Friday. He was accused of violence against a police officer, which supporters say was police persecution.

'No Pashinyans or Zelenskiys'

Lukashenko said it would be impossible for a revolution like in Armenia or Ukraine to overthrow the existing government.

"We don't have any Pashinyans or Zenskiys," he said Monday, referring to Armenia's Nikol Pashinyan and Ukraine'' Volodymyr Zelenskiy, claiming that Belarus' opposition lacked such caliber. "I've become closely acquainted with them. They're talented people."

Read more: Belarus: How death squads targeted opposition politicians

The president also dismissed the idea of a female president last week, telling a crowd "We'll have a man for president."

Belarus has hit headlines globally during the coronavirus pandemic as one of the few countries not to introduce any kind of restrictions on public life. Lukashenko dismissed coronavirus as a "psychosis" and has said that fresh air and hard work are the best cures.

The Eastern European country has reported over 43,000 confirmed cases with 230 people dead, though health experts say they believe that cases may have been under-reported.

ed/rc (AFP, dpa)


Link: https://www.dw.com/en/belarus-lukashenk ... a-53651863
#15099185
Political Interest wrote:Lukashenko is a very good leader.

Belarusians live well under him, and he protects them from Western excesses.


Didn't help him with his popularity though. Or as he is known in Belarussia right now: The 3% cockroach Sasha. Plus its a lie to a big extent. A lot of regions outside of Minsk have an average salary of 100 Euros so lol.
#15099192
JohnRawls wrote:Didn't help him with his popularity though. Or as he is known in Belarussia right now: The 3% cockroach Sasha. Plus its a lie to a big extent. A lot of regions outside of Minsk have an average salary of 100 Euros so lol.


Being in the EU has not done Lithuania much good. A lot of the population have emigrated and it is still one of the poorer member states.

What is to say Belarus will fare any better?

Then there is the psychological toll of being a Western state. They will lose their cultural values and and have to live with these ridiculous Western ideologies that you are not allowed to protest for fear of complete social ostracism.
#15099231
JohnRawls wrote:Like his Latin American counterparts, it is his final days and the end is near. Another left leaning Dictator who has ruined his countries economy and destroyed the hopes and dreams of his people. :excited:



Link: https://www.dw.com/en/belarus-lukashenk ... a-53651863

I don't know why you think that the underlying political ideological alignment Lukashenko professes is relevant . Totalitarianism permeates the entire political spectrum , and there are right-wing as well as left-wing despotic demagogues .
Demonstrations have been ongoing for several weeks since Lukashenko confirmed he will be running for another term. Independent media reported Sunday that prominent opposition leader Mikola Statkevich was arrested at a demonstration.

Statkevich was sentenced to 15 days in police detention, as dozens more activists were held across the country, charged on a variety of counts.

Statkevich was found guilty of organizing an unauthorized rally, AFP reported. He was jailed for six years in 2010 after opposing Lukashenko in presidential elections.
The opposition figure mentioned here is himself a Social Democrat , and as such is "left leaning " https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikola_Statkevich Also , in addition to this center-left political opposition figure , their are also these left-wing opposition parties . https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarusian_Left_Party_%22A_Just_World%22 , https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarusian_Green_Party , https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialist_Alternative_(Russia)
#15099237
Political Interest wrote:Being in the EU has not done Lithuania much good. A lot of the population have emigrated and it is still one of the poorer member states.

What is to say Belarus will fare any better?

Then there is the psychological toll of being a Western state. They will lose their cultural values and and have to live with these ridiculous Western ideologies that you are not allowed to protest for fear of complete social ostracism.


Most, if not all, EU members have easily undergone the path of developing to developed nations. Belarus is still developing although it had similar start. Yes, there was immigration but so what? It doesn't mean those people can't come back or the process still remains. If you look at statistics, official difference between Estonia and Belarus is 3 fold. ( For example 1400 vs 480 is official stats for average salary) If you compare it to real life then its 5 fold and above.

@Deutschmania

It doesn't matter that the opposition leader is left leaning, he is not an autocrat/dictator. I have nothing against social democracy.
#15099244
JohnRawls wrote:Most, if not all, EU members have easily undergone the path of developing to developed nations. Belarus is still developing although it had similar start. Yes, there was immigration but so what? It doesn't mean those people can't come back or the process still remains. If you look at statistics, official difference between Estonia and Belarus is 3 fold. ( For example 1400 vs 480 is official stats for average salary) If you compare it to real life then its 5 fold and above.


Why are Belarusian salaries this low so long after independence?

But in any case, aren't they increasing slowly?
#15099403
Political Interest wrote:Why are Belarusian salaries this low so long after independence?

But in any case, aren't they increasing slowly?


Not for the last 10 years they are not:

Image

As for the causes, they are the usual: corruption brought by dictatorial rule, crony capitalism, businesses split between the inner circle or established oligarchs, strangle economic policies, monopolies that emerge from spliting businesses between the inner circle and established oligarchs, no rule of law, bad investment climate, etc etc

Similar things are happening in Russia and Ukraine.
#15099428
JohnRawls wrote:As for the causes, they are the usual: corruption brought by dictatorial rule, crony capitalism, businesses split between the inner circle or established oligarchs, strangle economic policies, monopolies that emerge from spliting businesses between the inner circle and established oligarchs, no rule of law, bad investment climate, etc etc

Similar things are happening in Russia and Ukraine.


Is it possible to maintain the current one party system and also enjoy economic growth?

Why does Lukashenko not want to implement economic reforms?
#15099465
JohnRawls wrote:Most, if not all, EU members have easily undergone the path of developing to developed nations.

Look at Portugal and Greece and then think again about E. U. Being a paragon of "development" and "progress"...
Also don't put all your faith into the statistics. They show some numbers, but not always the reality on ground...
#15099467
Hellas me ponas wrote:Look at Portugal and Greece and then think again about E. U. Being a paragon of "development" and "progress"...
Also don't put all your faith into the statistics. They show some numbers, but not always the reality on ground...


Portugal and Greece are mostly at fault by themselves. The Troika mismaneged the situation but that doesn't justify Greece or Portugal blaming the EU. What for? It wasn't the EU that put them in their economic situation in the first place. Plus one could argue that Portugal and Greece were developed nations. I think that official they are considered developed before their economic woes. EU can't be the magic cure for everything but it does provide an economic advantage and growth compared to those who are not in it.

@Rugoz Well Morales is gone, no? I thought that Maduro would go away faster, but it seems he wants to suck the last drop of blood out of the Venezuelan people. Right now Venezuela is degrading in to North Korea of sorts. But yes, i was wrong. Maduro is still there although i thought he would get toppled by his own people a lot faster.
#15099479
Political Interest wrote:Is it possible to maintain the current one party system and also enjoy economic growth?

Why does Lukashenko not want to implement economic reforms?


Implementing reforms means liberalising the economy and the monopolies. Removing financial and political power from his crony circle. As a dictator, one might see why that might be bad for dictators ability to rule and stay in power. Same situation is in Russia, Ukraine and many other places.
#15099490
JohnRawls wrote:I thought that Maduro would go away faster, but it seems he wants to suck the last drop of blood out of the Venezuelan people. Right now Venezuela is degrading in to North Korea of sorts. But yes, i was wrong. Maduro is still there although i thought he would get toppled by his own people a lot faster.


Your mea culpa game is weak.

His own people largely support him, which is why he remains in power.
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