Focus on Belarus

Young people in Minsk protest against the results of the 2020 Belarussian presidential election. © imago images / ITAR-TASS

According to official preliminary results, Belarusian president Aliaksandr Lukashenka has been reelected for another turn on 9 August. In the aftermath of the election, massive protests are taking place in the country. In the light of these current events, ZOiS has put together a dossier on politics and society in Belarus.

ZOiS Forum online | 16 February 2021 | 6:30 pm

Belarus: The Power of Theatre, Photography and Public Opinion

The dramatic events in Belarus following the presidential elections of August 2020 were characterised by a high degree of bottom-up creativity. Even prior to this moment of mass mobilization, Belarusian resistance drew on visual and theatrical means of political engagement, drawing attention to a state and society hidden from view.

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Nadja Douglas: Die Loyalität des belarusischen Sicherheitsapparats bröckelt (noch) nicht

In ihrem Beitrag für die Belarus-Analysen analysiert Politikwissenschaftlerin Nadja Douglas (ZOiS) die Rolle des belaurssischen Sicherheitsapparates bei den aktuellen Protesten.

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ZOiS Spotlight 46/2020 by Olga Onuch

Belarus rises: four months and counting

The peaceful anti-regime protests in Belarus endure. A new survey reveals that they are in large part made up of people who have never taken part in protests before. The majority initially mobilised in reaction to the mass arrests and police brutality that followed the rigged 2020 presidential election.

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Gwendolyn Sasse: Belarus’s Optimistic Protesters and Putin’s Intentions (Judy Dempsey’s Strategic Europe)

In an article for , ZOiS director Gwendolyn Sasse presents the results of a new survey conducted by the MOBILISE project among protesters in Belarus. A majority of the participants remain optimimstic that the protests will succeed in ousting Lukashenko.

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ZOiS Report 6/2020 by Nadja Douglas

Belarus: From the old social contract to a new social identity

Belarus has seen large-scale protests since the presidential election. Nadja Douglas examines the underlying causes of this fundamental breakdown of state-society relations and demonstrates how Belarus has transformed from a social welfare state into a state dominated by domestic security concerns.

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Online event | 15 December 2020 | 5 pm

The power of images and mass mobilisation in Belarus

The protests against the rigged presidential elections and the regime of Alyaksandr Lukashchenka quickly developed into a mass mobilization in Belarus. Images play an important role in this mobilisation. In a conversation with photographers from Belarus and political scientists, we want to illustrate how images influenced the protests.

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ZOiS Spotlight 34/2020 by Anna Litvinenko

Will the revolution be Telegrammed?

Since the beginning of Belarusian protests in August 2020, the messaging service Telegram has been playing a crucial role in organising the protesters and is celebrated as a voice of freedom. However, while anonymous news channels help mobilise citizens, they can also be used for manipulation and impede the process of democratisation.

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Regina Elsner: "The Church is Always with the People": An Orthodox Paradigm in Political Turmoil (Berkley Forum)

In a blog post for the Berkley Forum (Georgetown University), theologian Regina Elsner (ZOiS) takes a look at the role of the Belarusian Orthodox Church (BOC) in the current protests following the presidential elections in Belarus.

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Félix Krawatzek: Young Belarusians are turning away from Russia and looking towards Europe (The Conversation)

Political scientist Félix Krawatzek (ZOiS) presents date from a ZOiS survey in June 2020. Among other topics, the survey asked young Belarusians what kind of relationship they want Belarus to have with the EU and Russia. Other questions dealt with identities and language.

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Regina Elsner: Religion and Civil Disobedience: The Orthodox Church and Political Protests in Belarus

"The Church’s attitude towards the protests and political situation in Belarus illustrates some important developments within Russian and Belarusian Orthodoxy since the end of the Soviet Union." For "Talk About: Law and Religion", the blog of the international Center for Law and Religion Studies, theologian Regina Elsner took a look at the church's role concerning the protests in Belarus.

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Pressemitteilung 17.08.2020

Expertenstimmen: Proteste in Belarus nach der Präsidentschaftswahl

Seit der Präsidentschaftswahl in Belarus gehen Menschen im ganzen Land gegen Lukaschenkas Regime auf die Straße. Trotz Polizeigewalt und zahlreichen Verhaftungen weiteten sich die Proteste und Solidaritätsbekundungen in der Bevölkerung aus. Wissenschaftler*innen aus dem ZOiS geben vor dem Hintergrund ihrer Forschung eine Einschätzung zur aktuellen Situation.

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Podcast: Roundtable Osteuropa 18/2020

Belarus in Turmoil

After the presidential election, Belarusians took to the streets contesting the official results. Although the regime cracked down hard on the protests, more and more people across the country with different backgrounds and ages have joined. We discuss the events with two researchers from ZOiS.

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Digital Natives versus Security Hardliners

In DGAP'S Berlin Policy Journal, Nadja Douglas and Félix Krawatzek write about the protest movement in Belarus. Presenting data from a survey among young people in Belarus, they show that trust in key state institutions has been eroding in the first half of 2020 in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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ZOiS Spotlight 30/2020 by Félix Krawatzek and Maryia Rohava

Belarus’s presidential election: an appetite for change

Since two opposition candidates were barred from running in Belarus’s presidential election scheduled for 9 August, a wave of antigovernment protests has swept the country. A new ZOiS survey of young Belarusians shows high support for the alternative candidates and a strong interest in politics.

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Video: Online Event | 15 July 2020

Belarus ahead of the presidential elections 2020

Belarus plans to hold presidential elections on 9 August 2020 despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. For the first time in many years, along with opposition figures, representatives from the ruling elite intend to run in the election. The online event in cooparation with the European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE) focuses on the current situation in Belarus.

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Press release, 16 July 2020

45.3% of Young Belarusians intended to vote for Babaryka

The oppositional candidate Viktar Babaryka who has just been excluded from the presidential election was by far the most popular candidate among young Belarusians. A new ZOiS survey among young people shows the high level of political interest and an awareness of political protests.

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Video: Online Event (in English) | 22 April 2020

Covid-19 in Belarus and the regional context

This ZOiS Online Event held on 22 April, looked on Belarus’ handling of the Corona pandemic crisis, which has raised severe criticism domestically and evoked astonishment by external observers. Official data is met with civic disbelief and stands in stark contrast to the accounts of individual activists and medics.

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ZOiS Spotlight 13/2020 by Nadja Douglas

Belarus’s increased vulnerability in times of crisis

Even before the current coronavirus pandemic, Belarus faced severe socio-economic problems. With its dependence on Russia and lack of structural reforms, the country had little protection against external shocks. Now more than ever, Belarus needs urgent anti-crisis measures for both the economy and social peace.

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ZOiS Spotlight 4/2020 by Kostiantyn Fedorenko

Belarus and Russia: turbulent relations

Russia’s attempts to influence Belarus’s political and economic course have led to growing tensions between the two countries in the past months. Some even fear for the former Soviet state’s independence. While annexation is unlikely, Moscow’s pressure on Minsk is not expected to reduce in the foreseeable future.

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Podcast: Roundtable Osteuropa 10/2019

Belarus after the elections: the role of youth in politics

Many observers consider the Belarusian parliamentary elections on 17 November 2019 a step backwards in terms of democratic standards. However, Belarusian society is changing and youth is becoming more and more relevant as a political actor in the country, both for the government as well as for the opposition.

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ZOiS Spotlight 44/2019 by Kristiina Silvan

Lukashenka’s regime: rooted in youth summer camps?

Each year, the Belarusian Republican Youth Union (BRSM), a youth movement that supports Belarus’s authoritarian government, organises summer camps for thousands of young activists. These camps are venues where young people’s solidarity is forged and channelled into a political resource for the regime.

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Podcast: Roundtable Osteuropa 9/2019

Belarus: Vorschau auf die Parlamentswahl

Bisherige Wahlen in Belarus waren laut OSZE weder frei noch fair. Scheinbar hat sich die Situation verbessert, denn die letzten Wahlen verliefen zumindest ohne gewaltsame Repressionen. Vor der Parlamentswahl am 17. November wird darüber spekuliert, ob sich das Land öffnet. Was ist also von den Wahlen zu erwarten?

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ZOiS Report 5/2019 by Félix Krawatzek

Youth in Belarus: Outlook on Life and Political Attitudes

In the run-up to the parliamentary vote on 17 November 2019 and the presidential election due by August 2020 at the latest, a ZOiS Report provides rare insights into the political attitudes of Belarusians aged between 16 and 34, their political engagement, and their views on and experiences with other countries.

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