Day: August 9, 2020
-
Belarus Leader Set for Overwhelming Election Win After Historic Challenge
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was set for an overwhelming victory in a presidential election on Sunday, an official exit poll said, after a political newcomer mounted a historic challenge to the strongman leader. The exit poll for state television gave Lukashenko 79.7% of the vote, with main challenger Svetlana Tikhanovskaya coming second with 6.8%. The…
-
Belarus Strongman Faces Surprise Challenge in Tense Vote
Belarus held tense presidential polls on Sunday with a popular woman opposition candidate posing the greatest challenge in years to long-ruling strongman Alexander Lukashenko. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, a 37-year-old English teacher and translator by training, stood for office after the authorities detained her husband, popular blogger Sergei Tikhanovsky, and barred him from running. She emerged as…
-
Belarus Presidential Challenger Demands ‘Honest Election’
The main opposition candidate challenging Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko demanded a fair election as she cast her ballot in the presidential poll on Sunday. “I really want the election to be honest, because if the authorities have nothing to fear, if all the people are for Alexander Grigoryevich (Lukashenko), then we will agree with that,”…
-
Russia’s Coronavirus Cases Approach 900K
The highest number of new cases were in Moscow and Sverdlovsk in the Urals. Russia’s fatality rate has remained low compared to other badly-hit countries, raising speculation that Moscow could be underreporting figures. Russian authorities began easing anti-virus measures in June ahead of a massive World War II military parade in Moscow and a nationwide…