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Did Lukashenko Blink? Offers New Election With ‘New Constitution’ Referendum

By Tsarizm Staff | August 18, 2020

Did Lukashenko Blink? Offers New Election With 'New Constitution' Referendum
Minsk Protest 2020-08-16
Image by Viktar Palstsiuk [1]

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko may have blinked. In the face of massive, sustained demonstrations opposing his rule and recent elections which protesters say was rigged, Lukashenko today offered a possible way out — he declared new elections are possible with a new constitutional referendum.

As always, the devils in the details.

New elections may take place in Belarus if a new constitution is adopted through a nationwide referendum, the country’s President Alexander Lukashenko said on Belarus-24 on Monday, reported Russian state news agency TASS.

“We need to adopt a new constitution,” he pointed out. “You need to approve it at a referendum because in the past, we adopted the country’s constitution through a referendum. And if you wish, parliamentary, presidential and local elections may be held in accordance with the new constitution,” Lukashenko added.

The Kremlin, not enamored with Lukashenko by any means, fears a ‘color revolution’ on its border. Lukashenko and Putin have declared that foreign actors are involved in the civil unrest, similar to what they believe happened in 2014 in Ukraine, leading to years of a corrupt Western-backed government. Information is still coming out as to what really happened at Maidan, and the Obama administration machinations behind it.

The drama playing out in Minsk will be interesting to watch over the next few weeks.

This piece originally appeared on Tsarizm.com [4] and is used by permission.