TALLINN, Estonia — On Tuesday, the elections commission in Belarus approved the registration of an initiative group that will support President Alexander Lukashenko in his bid for a seventh term. However, this decision was accompanied by the refusal to accept the registration of two opposition politicians who aimed to run in the upcoming election.

The election is set to take place on January 26, marking 4 1/2 years since the controversial 2020 election, which ignited widespread protests and resulted in a severe crackdown on dissent. During this tumultuous period, approximately 65,000 individuals were detained, with many opposition leaders either imprisoned or forced into exile. Current estimates by human rights advocates indicate that around 1,300 political prisoners remain in Belarus, many of whom face inadequate medical treatment and endure limited communication with their families.

Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, has a long history of suppressing opposition and curbing independent media outlets. On Tuesday, the Central Election Commission commenced the registration process for initiative groups, which need to gather at least 100,000 signatures by December 6 to officially propose a candidate.

Unfortunately for opposition leaders like Yuras Hubarevich, who heads the For Freedom movement, their attempts to register were met with rejection due to alleged procedural violations in their documentation submission. Similarly, politician Aliaxandar Drazdou also faced denial in his registration efforts.

Hubarevich criticized the situation, stating, “These are not elections; they are an electoral farce. The actions of the Central Election Commission only prove that not a single genuine opponent of Lukashenko will be permitted to take part in the elections.” Furthermore, Pavel Sapelka, a representative of the Viasna human rights organization, highlighted the plight of imprisoned politicians, noting, “Those who once had the courage to oppose Lukashenko are now languishing in prison under torturous conditions, with no contact for over a year, and some are in extremely poor health.”

These developments signal an ongoing struggle for democracy and human rights in Belarus, as dissent remains stifled under a regime characterized by authoritarian rule and repression.