Presidential elections were held in Belarus on Sunday, 9 August 2020. Early voting began on 4 August and ran until 8 August.
Incumbent Alexander Lukashenko was announced by the Central Election Commission (CEC) to have won a sixth term in office, crediting him with just over 80% of the vote. Lukashenko has won every presidential election since 1994, with all but the first being labelled by international monitors as neither free nor fair.
Opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya claimed to have won a decisive first-round victory with at least 60% of the vote, and called on Lukashenko to start negotiations. Her campaign subsequently formed the Coordination Council to facilitate a transfer of power and stated that it was ready to organize "long-term protests" against the official results. All seven members of the Coordination Council Presidium were subsequently arrested or went into exile.
All opposition candidates filed appeals to the Central Election Commission calling for the results to be invalidated. The election was marred by claims of widespread electoral fraud. Numerous countries refused to accept the result of the election, as did the European Union, which imposed sanctions on Belarusian officials deemed to be responsible for "violence, repression and election fraud". The results of the election led to widespread protests.Global Protest Tracker, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (website visited on 21 October 2021)Why wearing the wrong socks is risky in Belarus, BBC News (6 May 2021)
Background On 8 May 2020 the National Assembly set 9 August as the date for the presidential election."Belarus to hold its presidential election on Aug. 9" , Associated Press. 8 May 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
Incumbent president Alexander Lukashenko had been leading the country since the first presidential elections held in 1994. Over the next two years, he rapidly consolidated his power. In 1995, he won a referendum that gave him the power to dissolve the legislature if he felt it contravened the Constitution. In 1996, he won another referendum that dramatically increased his power, and also extended his original five-year term to 2001.Why Does The "Last Dictatorship In Europe" Hold Elections? Belarus Digest, 26 March 2012Profile: Europe's last dictator? BBC News, 10 September 2001 Since then, his regime has been reckoned as an authoritarian dictatorship by Western observers. Opposition activists are often pressured or detained by the government, and Lukashenko or those loyal to him control (as of 2020) all of the seats in both houses of the National Assembly, all judicial appointments, the media, and the CEC (which has the power to approve or deny candidates for political offices).
Electoral system The president of Belarus is elected using the two-round system. If no candidate obtains over 50% of the vote, a second round is held with the top two candidates. The winner of the second round is elected. A turnout quorum of 50% is applied.
Despite the two-round system being in place, a second round has not been officially required since 1994. In the previous four elections, Lukashenko claimed margins of 77% or more in the first round. No election since 1994 has met international standards of transparency and fairness.
Candidates Registered candidates To register as a candidate, nominees were required to meet certain criteria:
Being nominated by the signatures of no fewer than 100 thousand citizens. Required to submit an application for an initiative group of voters containing no fewer than 100 persons.
The following list has information about registered candidates by the CEC for the presidential election on 21 July 2020. +Registered candidates for the 2020 Belarusian presidential electionCandidateOccupationSubject of nominationApplication dateInitiative group registration dateInitiative group sizeIncumbent president of BelarusSelf-nomination17 November 201915 May 202011,480Chairman of the Belarusian Social Democratic AssemblyBelarusian Social Democratic Assembly11 January 202020 May 20201,127Member of Parliament (2016–2019)Self-nomination12 May 202020 May 20201,314Co-chairman of the political movement "Tell the Truth"Tell the Truth8 May 202020 May 20202,399Human rights activist and politicianSelf-nomination15 May 202020 May 2020247
Denied candidates
Viktar Babaryka – former chairman of the Management Board of OJSC BelgazprombankBanker and philanthropist Babaryka may stand in 2020 presidential election Belsat TV On 14 July the CEC voted unanimously to deny Babaryka's registration due to an alleged inconsistency in his submitted income and property declaration.Victar Babaryka was removed from the election Belsat TV Valery Tsepkalo – founder and former director (2005–2017) of the Belarus High Technologies ParkHi-Tech park founder Tsapkala to run for presidency Belsat TV On 30 June the CEC announced that Tsepkalo had only gathered 75,249 valid signatures (out of 160,000 he had submitted). This was below the 100,000 required to run for president. On 24 July, fearing arrest, Tsepkalo fled to Russia with his two children. Sergei Tikhanovsky – political and business YouTube blogger.Detained Belarusian blogger set to be Lukashenka's rival in 2020 election Belsat TVSyarhei Tsikhanouski intends to become candidate for president of Belarus // Country for Life YouTube channel Tikhanovsky was taken to prison shortly after announcing his candidature. After five years, on 21 June 2025, he was released together with 13 other political prisoners. Yuri Hantsevich – farmer and bloggerHomiel region: Youtubing farmer set to seek presidency Belsat TV Yuras Hubarevich – head of the Movement "For Freedom" Volha Kavalkova – co-chairman of the organizing committee for the establishment of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Mikalai Kazlou – acting chairman of United Civic Party of Belarus Natallia Kisel – individual entrepreneur Vladimir Nepomnyashchikh – pensioner Ales Tabolich – musician, frontman of the folk-metal band Znich
Withdrawn candidates Alena Anisim – Member of the House of Representatives of Belarus (pro-opposition independent) Aleh Gaidukevich – politician of the Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus
Declined candidates Siarhei Skrabets – former member of the House of Representatives of Belarus Mikola Statkevich – head of the People's Hramada and former presidential candidate Aliaksei Yanukevich – former chairman of the Belarusian Popular Front Party
In January 2020, five opposition forces, the Movement "For Freedom", Belarusian Christian Democracy, Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Assembly), BPF Party and United Civic Party of Belarus reached a definite agreement to hold primaries to field a single candidate from the Belarusian opposition. Yury Hubarevich (For Freedom), Paval Sieviaryniec, Volha Kavalkova (both BCD), Aliaksei Yanukevich (BPF) and Mikalai Kazlou (UCPB) were listed as potential candidates.
The Belarusian Green Party announced that it would not participate in the primaries and the election.
The Belarusian Left Party "A Just World" called for a boycott of the election, describing the election a "political farce".
Collection of signatures +Candidates who received more than 100,000 signatures in support of their candidacyCandidateSignatures collectedSignaturessubmittedSignaturesaccepted28 May4 June8 June19 JuneViktar Babaryka51,25982,519167,001435,119367,179165,744Siarhei Cherachen20,24752,99174,382153,764149,750143,109Andrey Dmitriyeu14,11836,47559,975 112,950110,754106,841Anna Kanapatskaya12,48336,43272,864 159,728151,631146,588Natallia Kisel37,23562,47073,941108,705N/AAlexander Lukashenko199,752499,256998,7601,997,5201,958,8001,939,572Valery Tsepkalo19,80754,828118,456212,412158,68275,249Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya1,56759,774145,322109,479104,757
Most government organizations forced their employees to sign for Alexander Lukashenko under threats that their work contracts would not be renewed.
Timeline
May 5 May — The House of Representatives of Belarus schedules the date for the presidential election. 15 May — Last day to register as a candidate, a total of 55 candidates apply. This is a record for independent Belarus. 20 May — The CEC registers a total of 15 groups on 15, 19 and 20 May. 22 May — Election commissions are formed. 29 May — Siarhei Tsikhanouski holds a picket in Hrodno at which he and nine activists of his initiative group are detained. June 5 June — The first picket in the election campaign takes place and signatures are collected for the nomination of incumbent president Alexander Lukashenko as a candidate. 11 June— The Financial Investigation Department opens a criminal case against a number of employees of Belgazprombank (headed by Viktar Babaryka); searches are carried out in the bank, and fifteen people are detained. 17 June — A private bank account held by the headquarters of Viktor Babaryka is blocked, and more than (US$45,000) are frozen. 18 June — Both Viktar and Eduard Babaryka are detained early in the morning. That evening, the "Action of Solidarity" took place in Minsk. Several thousand people lined up in a human chain from Yakub Kolas Square to Independence Square, spanning more than 3 km. The action was loudly approved by applause and honking of passing cars. The event lasted over six hours and ended after midnight. 19 June — Yuri Gubarevich and Alexander Tabolich withdraw from the presidential race. After working hours in many cities of the country (Minsk, Homel, Mogilev, Orsha, Pinsk, etc.), the next "Solidarity Actions" are held. In some places there are detentions, and in Brest and Molodechno there are clashes with riot police. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, 270 citizens are detained. In the evening, by one of the leaders of Babaryka's campaign releases a proposal to hold a republican referendum and the return of the 1994 Constitution. 30 June — The CEC holds a meeting at which five presidential candidates are rejected. Among them is Tsepkalo, who only had 75,000 signatures out of the required 100,000. Most of Tsepkalo's signatures are rejected by CEC. July 14 July — The CEC refuses to register Babaryka for the presidential election because of inconsistencies in the declaration of income and property and the participation of a foreign organization in his election campaign. In many cities across Belarus, including Minsk, protest actions are held, over 250 people are detained, six riot police officers are injured, and 4 are hospitalized. 15 July — Citizens form a line to the CEC building to file complaints over the refusal to register Babaryka and Tsepkalo. The line stretches for over a kilometer. Soon police appear and a number of people are detained. 16 July The headquarters of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Babaryka and Tsepkalo unite, asserting need for general control over the course of voting and holding fresh elections if they win. The OSCE representative says that observers will not be present at the upcoming elections because the Belarusian Foreign Ministry did not send an official invitation on time (it was sent on 15 July, when there was less than a month left before the elections). 19 July — in the city of Vitebsk and Minsk at Bangalore Square, the first meeting is held with the voters of Tsikhanouskaya, and according to various estimates there are approx. 7,000- 8,000 people total present. 21 July — Presidential candidates Tsikhanouskaya, Anna Kanopatskaya, Sergei Cherechen and Andrei Dmitriyeu appear on national TV channel, "Belarus 1". 30 July The CEC summons presidential candidates. It is reported that on the night of 29 July 33 Russian citizens were detained and also that security measures are being strengthened and they issued warnings of possible provocation from Russia. Presidential candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya refused to debate on state-wide TV, and she also challenged Alexander Lukashenko to a one-on-one debate.