Belarus: Rebelling against a “democratic” dictatorship

Belarus is convulsed by pro-democracy demonstrations, the opposition leader has fled in fear and the EU is threatening to reimpose sanctions. Yet pig-farmer turned strongman Alexander Lukashenko shows no sign of relinquishing his 26-year grip on power. Professor Andrew Wilson of UCL, the author of Belarus: The Last European Dictatorship, talks to Dorian Lynskey about how Lukashenko rigs elections, the prospects for bringing real democracy to Belarus, and who’s keeping “Batka” in power.

• “There’s YouTube video of someone shouting ‘Just swap the votes!’”
• “Lukashenko was shocked by Putin’s attack on Crimea. Even dictators want to stay in power.”
• “Lukashenko hasn’t done anything clever. It’s just the police vs the demonstrators.”

Presented by Dorian Lynskey. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

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