Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has signed a new law granting him lifelong immunity from criminal prosecution and prohibiting opposition leaders outside of Belarus from running in future presidential elections.
While the law theoretically applies to any former president and their family members, it is practically relevant only to Mr Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus for almost 30 years.
The new measure appears to strengthen Mr Lukashenko’s power and eliminate potential challengers in the country’s next presidential election, which is scheduled for 2025.
The law significantly tightens the requirements for presidential candidates, making it impossible to elect opposition leaders who have fled to neighbouring countries in recent years. Only Belarusian citizens who have permanently lived in the country for at least 20 years and have never had a residence permit in another country are eligible to run for president.
Belarus was rocked by mass protests during Mr Lukashenko’s controversial re-election in August 2020 for a sixth term, which the opposition and the West condemned as fraudulent. At that time, Belarusian authorities detained more than 35,000 people, many of whom were tortured in custody or left the country.
After resigning, the law also provides Mr Lukashenko and his family with lifelong state protection, medical care, life and health insurance, and membership in the upper house of parliament. According to the new law’s text, Mr Lukashenko, were he to leave power, “cannot be held accountable for actions committed in connection with exercising his presidential powers”.
Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who fled to neighbouring Lithuania in 2020, has criticised the new law as Mr Lukashenko’s response to his “fear of an inevitable future”, suggesting he must be concerned about what happens to him when he leaves power. She has also called for an investigation into the disappearances of opposition politicians and the removal of Ukrainian children from Ukraine. Ms Tikhanovskaya emphasised that there are still about 1,500 political prisoners behind bars in Belarus, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski.
In summary, the new law granting Mr Lukashenko lifelong immunity from criminal prosecution and limiting opposition leaders’ eligibility to run for president appears to be a move to maintain his grip on power and eliminate potential challengers. The law significantly tightens the requirements for presidential candidates, making it impossible for opposition leaders who have fled the country to run for president. After resigning, the law also provides Mr Lukashenko and his family with lifelong state protection, medical care, life and health insurance, and membership in the upper house of parliament.
