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The authoritarian governing Belarusian President Lukashenko dissolved the cabinet before the upcoming election. That is quite normal, and not a "revolution". An opposition politician was previously excluded from the presidential election.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko dissolved the government by decree. As the state television reported, the authoritarian head of state had previously discussed with senior government officials the creation of a new cabinet.
Presidential elections are held in Belarus on August 9, despite the corona pandemic. It had been the practice in the past for the president to decide on the new government in the run-up to elections, "so that voters know who will work to resolve the crucial issues," said Lukashenko. A change of cabinet is not a "revolution", he emphasized. Lukashenko is running for his sixth term in the presidential election on August 9.
The prominent opposition politician Mikola Statkewitsch had been excluded from the election. On Monday, he was sentenced to 15 days in police custody for organizing an unauthorized demonstration. Fines were also imposed on dozens of other opposition figures.
Lukashenko had rejected calls for a postponement of the ballot box due to the corona pandemic. According to official information, more than 45,000 infections with the novel pathogen have been registered in Belarus, including 248 deaths.
