The protest movement in Belarus consists of a number of segments. A part of the participants have very specific political views. The Democratic candidates supported Svetlana Tikhanovskaia in the electron campaign, in elections and after them. Besides this rather large group that protests, there is another group of people that consists of those who protested against the use of violence by the police against protesters. All the protests were peaceful and created an opposite reflection of the events that happened in Ukraine in 2013-2014. political scientist, researcher at the Institute of Political Sciences at Liebig-Justus University in Giessen, stated in IPN’s public debate “Situation in Belarus: mutual influences with world”.
According to him, the events in Belarus, unlike the other revolutions that took place in the post-Soviet area, especially the Euromaidan, insisted on pacifism and nonacceptance of deviations towards use of violence.
In another development, Dionis Cenușa said that in six weeks of the elections held in Belarus on August 9, he saw Minsk’s increased interest in communicating with Moscow, in having a very detailed coordination of steps, with weekly reporting by Alexandr Lukashenka’s administration to Putin. “Russia has always kept the situation in Belarus under control, but in the period we saw Minsk’s interest in keeping Russia very close rather than in massively involving Russia.” On the other hand, the U.S. was absent, while the EU was taken by surprise.
Since the start of the protests, the EU has launched six statements concerning Belarus and in all of these noted that the elections in Belarus and Lukashenko’s legality as a President elected legally by the citizens are not recognized.
Another world power, China, was the first country that recognized Lukashenko as the winner of elections. “The last statements by the Chinese authorities supported the argumentation line of Lukashenko’s administration and insisted on the solving of the problem by peaceful, internal ways. China needs a stable Belarus, while a stable Belarus is associated by Beijing with the keeping of power by Lukashenol.”
The expert noted that in Moldova there are two diametrically opposed positions on the events in Belarus. On the other hand, President Igor Dodon, who was among the first international leaders who congratulated Alexandr Lukashenko on his reelection, refused to make statements on the political crisis in Belarus, considering it an internal matter of Belarus.
On the other hand, there is also the very important, but not so sonorous position of civil society, which reacted to the events in Belarus. It issued a statement in support of the peaceful protests and civil society of this country, but long after the protests where people were tortured.
The public debate “Situation in Belarus: mutual influences with world” was the 151st installment of the series of debates “Developing political culture through public debates” that are supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
