Presidential Elections in Belarus. Ascribing Meaning to a Pre-Determined Outcome
On 11 October 2015, Belarus held presidential elections for the fifth time since independence from the USSR in 1991. The outcome was never in doubt: it was clear from the outset that the incumbent, Aliaksandr Lukashenka, would be re-elected. The real questions surrounding the election related to what processes would be triggered in the aftermath of the election. Time will tell whether the political theater of the presidential elections will succeed in helping Lukashenka avoid the further clientization of Belarus to Russia.