Few observers were surprised last August when Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko claimed he had won reelection to a sixth presidential term. As in previous elections, he had imprisoned his most formidable opponent, Sergei Tikhanovsky, and declared that he won more than 80 percent of the vote—this time against Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, Tikhanovsky’s wife, who ran in his place.
Emma Rogers is a former Dispatch intern. She has a masters degree in global policy studies from the University of Texas.
Jonathan Chew is The Dispatch’s Social Media Manager
