Overview

• In a Time magazine interview on August 8, President Alexander Lukashenko announced he will not seek re-election after his current term ends in 2030.
• He dismissed speculation that his youngest son, Nikolai, would succeed him in the presidency.
• His January re-election to a term through 2030 was widely condemned as neither free nor fair by human rights observers.
• Human rights organizations report that about 1,200 political prisoners remain detained under his administration’s ongoing crackdown on dissent.
• He chairs the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly, which analysts say could allow him to retain de facto control even after leaving office.