Belarus does not need the vote to be marred by assassination attempts, President Alexander Lukashenko has said
Belarus must not allow its upcoming presidential election to devolve into a tumultuous spectacle resembling the White House race in the US, during which President-elect Donald Trump narrowly survived an assassination attempt, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said.
Speaking at a government meeting on Friday, Lukashenko stressed that the election, which is scheduled for January 26, should be “a celebration.”
“We don’t need an American-style show where people get shot in the ear or the head. We need this election to be conducted in a dignified manner, so we avoid unnecessary criticism,” he said.
Lukashenko was referring to the most prominent assassination attempt on Trump which took place in July 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a bullet grazed Trump’s ear during a rally. The shooter was killed on the spot by the Republican’s security detail. One attendee of the rally was also killed, with several others injured.
Trump also became the target of another assassination attempt in September 2024 at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, where the assailant was apprehended as he tried to breach the security perimeter.
Lukashenko, who has led the country since 1994, urged the opposition – which he claimed is supported by the West – to return home and take part in the election. “It’s easy to yap from abroad. You have to go to the country and take part in the voting… Here, the people should decide,” he said.
In September, Belarusian Foreign Minister Maksim Ryzhenkov accused the West of meddling in the country’s internal affairs in light of the approaching election. The last presidential election, in which Lukashenko was reelected, was held in 2020, sparking a wave of protests over what the opposition claimed was widespread fraud. Minsk has denied the allegations, insisting that the unrest was orchestrated by the US, its European “satellites,” and neighboring Ukraine.
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