Belarus in Transformation: Female Candidacy in Presidential Race

Belarus: the electoral campaign launched by a female candidate concerning the upcoming presidential election to be held on 09 August 2020 has definitely set a new trend for women and human rights activists to claim parity in political freedom in Belarus.

Incumbent president Lukashenko has been challenged by a women presidential candidate, Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya, who is demanding to remove Lukashenko, release political prisoners, return to the Belarussian constitution up until 1996 and have free elections within six months.

Gender Concerns International, while commending the courage and participation of women in the presidential race, endorses the concern of Belarussian women and other civil society organisations over the human rights violations, lack of transparency, and gender-based reprisals during this years’ presidential campaign. The organisation expresses its deep concern over the absence of major International Election Observation Missions to ensure that free, fair and transparent elections are held in Belarus.

Gender Concerns International is closely following the developments in Belarus hoping that the electoral outcome will be credible and mark a new era of transformation for women’s human rights and political freedom in Belarus.