Belarus elections: Only parties loyal to regime on the ballot as polls open | DW News

On February 25, Belarusians will be electing lawmakers in parliament and local councils across the country — in the first elections in Belarus since the political crisis of 2020. Voters will elect 110 lawmakers in the lower house of the parliament and 12,000 local council representatives. Regardless of how many people take part in these elections, they will be considered valid. In contrast to previous elections, there is no minimum participation rate. In summer 2020, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko was simply declared the winner of the country’s last presidential election despite widespread evidence the vote had been rigged. The decision led to mass anti-government protests, and the regime ended up postponing all scheduled elections over the next few years: local elections had been set for 2022, while the parliamentary ballot should have been held last year.