A constitutional change denounced as fraud by the opposition allows Lukashenko to end atomic neutrality
It is known worldwide that Alexander Lukashenko is the dictator who rules the destinies of Belarus thanks to the unconditional support of Russia. It was Putin who, with a rapid deployment of troops, stopped the popular protests that threatened his head after the electoral fraud of August 2020 that opened the doors to his sixth term and it has also been Putin who has led him to seek a constitutional endorsement – through a referendum as dubious as the previous appointment with the polls – to equip himself with absolutist powers that allow him to remain in office for another decade.
Other changes include the extension of Parliament’s mandate from four to five years, the introduction of the People’s Assembly as a new body to operate in parallel with Parliament, or the immunity from prosecution of former presidents for actions they carried out in office. More than 65% of citizens voted in favor on Sunday, according to sources from a government that lacks any democratic credibility and that arrested a thousand people during the day with the largest popular protests in two years.
The protests were “massive” in several cities, more than 100,000 demonstrators, according to the opposition Svetlana Tijanovskaya on her Twitter account. In her opinion, the Belarusian people do not want nuclear weapons or participate in aggression against neighbors ». She recalled that part of the Kremlin’s military operations were launched from Belarusian territory.
The official counter-propaganda quickly counterattacked by pointing out that “despite the numerous attempts to destabilize the situation, which have been promoted from outside the country, the marches have been of little importance.” However, different organizations denounce more than a thousand political prisoners since Lukashenko renewed his presidential mandate.
“We know what it will mean”
The suspicious change in the Magna Carta of Belarus stands out because it limits its status as a country without nuclear capacity, something that will allow Moscow to install atomic weapons in that territory, as the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, warned on Monday. “It is very dangerous and we know what it will mean,” said the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy in a videoconference with the community defense ministers after denouncing the “false consultation” in a context of enormous repression and while Minsk participates in the Russian offensive against Ukraine.
The repression continues and more than 1,000 people were arrested during protests against the referendum
French President Emmanuel Macron warned Lukashenko by telephone on Sunday of the aggravation that the elimination of neutrality status would entail and the possibility, as Western experts fear, that the despot would authorize Russia, his staunch ally, to deploy nuclear weapons. in its territory. Lukashenko did not rule out this possibility. “If the West transfers atomic arsenals to Poland and Lithuania to our borders, I will ask Putin to unconditionally return some of those he took,” he replied to the Frenchman.
Brussels also believes that Minsk has completely closed down public debate and there is a deliberate spread of disinformation and that the constitutional reform seeks to give it additional tools to consolidate its role. The Twenty-seven already maintained sanctions against the Belarusian leader and the national economy for the fraudulent elections of August 2020 and the spiral of repression against democratic demonstrations. But now they outline a new battery of punishments that also reach a blacklist of people who have collaborated with the invasion.
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