Belarus with constitutional changes that could give Lukashenko immunity

Lukashenko has said the constitutional changes, originally reported by the state-run BelTA news agency on December 27, will be voted on in a referendum in February 2022. His opponents have said the constitutional changes are an attempt to capture the state, after the opposition, through protests, refused to recognize Lukashenko’s victory in the presidential elections held in August last year. The opposition says the election result has been manipulated.

Under the new amendments, a person is barred from running for president if he or she has temporarily left the country. The change appears to be targeting members of the opposition who have already fled Belarus over fears of violent crackdowns on protesters following the presidential election.

One of the proposed changes also states that the Government cannot launch any military aggression. “The president is elected for a five-year term directly by the Belarusian people, based on free, equal elections and by secret ballot. “No one can be president for more than two terms,” ​​the document reads.

Currently, Lukashenka is in his sixth term in a row as the country’s leader. The document, however, did not say whether Lukashenko would be barred from running again or whether the two-term limit would apply from now on. Mr Lukashenko has ruled Belarus since 1994 and has denied that the 2020 election was rigged. He has even refused to negotiate with the opposition over the transfer of power or call new elections.

In the past he has hinted that he could step down if constitutional changes are made, but in recent months he has not mentioned such a possibility. The United States, the European Union and other countries are refusing to recognize Lukashenko as Belarus’s legitimate leader and have imposed a series of sanctions on him and other senior officials in response to the crackdown.

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